The volume of accumulated Chinese investments in the Eurasian region by the end of the first half of 2024 has increased 1.5 times compared to 2016, the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) reports.
According to the report, Central Asia received 47% of all Chinese investments directed to the Eurasian region. The volume of investments amounted to US$27.7 billion. The main recipient countries are Kazakhstan (US$10.4 billion), Turkmenistan (US$9.5 billion), and Uzbekistan (US$4.3 billion).
It is noted that the share of the raw materials sector in the industry structure of investments is decreasing – it currently accounts for 61.7% compared to 69% in 2016. Against this backdrop, investments in industry (US$11.8 billion, a 2.3 times increase) and electricity (US$4.1 billion, a 3.1 times increase) are growing rapidly. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan lead in the influx of Chinese investments in these sectors.
"The growth of Chinese investments in Central Asia is natural. From 2000 to 2024, the economies of the region's countries have grown almost fivefold. High growth rates are expected to continue. This will ensure stable demand for investments, especially in infrastructure, raw materials, industry, and energy. An important stimulus for investments is the Belt and Road initiative, which supports joint projects in strategic sectors," EDB Deputy Head Yevgeny Vinokurov emphasizes.
Meanwhile, according to the State Committee on Investment and State-owned Property Management of Tajikistan (GosKomInvest), in 2024, US$150.9 million in Chinese investments entered the country's economy, which is US$41 million more compared to 2023.
China began making capital investments in Tajikistan's economy only in the second half of the 2000s (since 2007), but in a short period of time, it became the main investor in the country.
By the beginning of 2025, the accumulated volume of Chinese investments in Tajikistan had reached nearly US$4 billion. For comparison, the accumulated investment volume from Russia and Kazakhstan, which are among the top three major investors in Tajikistan, was about US$2 billion and US$1.3 billion, respectively.
Approximately 70% of the accumulated Chinese investments in Tajikistan's economy are direct capital.
The share of Chinese investments in the total volume of accumulated investments in the country's economy is 38%.
