Our People > Sergey Kwan

Sergey Kwan

Journalist

Sergey Kwan has worked for The Times of Central Asia as a journalist, translator and editor since its foundation in March 1999. Prior to this, from 1996-1997, he worked as a translator at The Kyrgyzstan Chronicle, and from 1997-1999, as a translator at The Central Asian Post.
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Kwan studied at the Bishkek Polytechnic Institute from 1990-1994, before completing his training in print journalism in Denmark.

Articles

Civil Aviation

China Launches Beijing-Bishkek Flights as Kyrgyzstan-China Links Grow

Air China, China’s flag carrier, has launched scheduled passenger flights between Beijing and Bishkek, adding another direct link as Kyrgyzstan and China expand economic and transport ties. According to OJSC Airports of Kyrgyzstan, the new Beijing-Bishkek-Beijing service will operate three times a week. Flights are scheduled for Mondays and Fridays, with an additional service on Sundays. Airbus A321 aircraft will operate the route. The airport operator described the launch as a milestone for Kyrgyzstan’s civil aviation sector, saying the arrival of one of Asia’s largest airlines reflects the country’s growing appeal to international carriers and opens new opportunities for travel between Kyrgyzstan and China. The inaugural flight coincided with the 17th meeting of the Kyrgyz-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, held in Bishkek on July 17. The meeting was co-chaired by Erlist Akunbekov, Deputy Chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers, and Ling Ji, China’s Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative. Discussions covered trade and transport, including logistics. Energy and agriculture were also on the agenda, as were industry and finance. Akunbekov said bilateral economic cooperation had entered a new phase, pointing to several major infrastructure projects. "We have begun implementing large-scale projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway. The third border crossing, Bedel, has opened, and construction has begun on the Barskoon-Bedel-Uchturfan-Aksu highway," he said. Construction of the Barskoon-Bedel highway began in August 2025. The road will form part of a future transport corridor linking Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Region with Aksu Prefecture in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region via the Bedel Pass. Once completed, the route is expected to shorten the distance between Aksu and Kyrgyzstan by around 500 kilometers and reduce freight transit times by at least 12 hours. The new Beijing route comes amid an expansion of air services between the two countries. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Aero Nomad Airlines will launch direct flights between Bishkek and Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, on August 3. The new air services add to expanding road links and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project. Officials expect the additional connections to support trade and tourism while making business travel easier. According to Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Liu Jiangping, bilateral trade reached a record $27.2 billion in 2025, up 20% from the previous year.

3 months ago

Fuel Supply

Kyrgyzstan Fuel Crisis: Bishkek Relaxes Fuel Import Rules to Ease Supply Pressures

Kyrgyzstan has relaxed fuel import rules and extended restrictions on exports as it seeks to mitigate growing pressure on its domestic fuel market amid disruption to Russia’s refining sector. Under a July 13 resolution, the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers suspended, until April 1, 2027, provisions of a 2019 government decree restricting the import of oil and petroleum products by road. The exemption had previously been due to expire on September 30, 2026. The change allows fuel to be delivered into Kyrgyzstan by road tanker, giving importers greater flexibility to obtain supplies through alternative routes. Other requirements governing fuel imports, including transportation safety rules and accompanying documentation, remain in force. The measure comes as Russia, the source of more than 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s imported petroleum products, has imposed temporary restrictions on gasoline exports after Ukrainian drone attacks reduced production at several Russian refineries. At the same time, the Cabinet amended the country’s export rules for petroleum products. The current export ban on crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and other petroleum products transported by road or rail will now remain in effect until Kyrgyzstan’s domestic fuel demand is fully satisfied or until the EAEU’s common oil and petroleum products market becomes operational. According to the government, the changes are intended to stabilize the domestic fuel market and ensure adequate supplies for consumers. The latest measures add to a series of steps taken by Bishkek to address mounting fuel supply challenges. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is also seeking to increase domestic production of the country’s most widely used AI-92 gasoline by upgrading surplus stocks of lower-octane AI-80 fuel. Earlier this month, the government also eased its temporary fuel price controls after shortages emerged. Emergency price regulation introduced on May 25 established benchmark import prices of $860 per metric ton for AI-92 gasoline, $940 for AI-95 gasoline, $950 for diesel fuel, and $575 for liquefied petroleum gas. However, under a separate July 7 resolution signed by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev, AI-95 gasoline was removed from the list of socially significant goods subject to state price regulation, and retail price caps were abolished. The government said the changes were necessary to restore uninterrupted fuel supplies after AI-95 gasoline temporarily disappeared from filling stations in Bishkek.

3 months ago

Civil Aviation

Kyrgyzstan to Launch Direct Flight Between Bishkek and Urumqi

Kyrgyzstan’s Aero Nomad Airlines will launch a new direct route between Bishkek and Urumqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, further expanding air connectivity between the two neighboring countries. According to the airline, the inaugural flight is scheduled for August 3 and will be operated using an Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline said the route would support trade and investment and encourage tourism and cultural exchanges between Kyrgyzstan and China. Xinjiang already has established air connections with Kyrgyzstan. In November 2025, China Southern Airlines resumed direct flights between Urumqi and Osh, Kyrgyzstan’s second-largest city. Earlier this year, Airports of Kyrgyzstan JSC also announced the launch of a new route between Osh and Kashgar, another major city in Xinjiang, to be operated by Chengdu Airlines. Xinjiang serves as Kyrgyzstan’s principal gateway to China. Most bilateral trade passes through the region via the Torugart and Irkeshtam border crossings, the two fully operational road links between the countries. According to Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Liu Jiangping, bilateral trade reached a record $27.2 billion in 2025, representing a 20% increase compared with the previous year. Growing commercial ties have also been supported by institutional cooperation. In June 2024, the Kyrgyzstan-China Trade and Economic Cooperation Center opened in Urumqi, Xinjiang, to facilitate business contacts, promote investment opportunities, and support joint projects between companies from both countries. Kashgar is the Chinese starting point of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, one of the region’s largest infrastructure projects. The planned line would connect western China with Central Asia. The Bishkek-Urumqi service adds another transport link between Kyrgyzstan and China as bilateral trade grows and work continues on the railway.

3 months ago

Border Demarcation

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Begin Installing Border Pillars After Completing Border Delimitation

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have begun installing border pillars along their shared frontier, marking the start of the final stage in implementing the landmark border agreement that ended one of Central Asia’s longest-running territorial disputes. On July 14, representatives of the two countries installed the first four border pillars on the section beginning at the tri-junction where the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan meet. The Kyrgyz-Tajik border stretches 1,008.14 kilometers, while the total perimeter of neutral territory amounts to 14.07 kilometers. The installation of border markers follows the completion of the border delimitation process, which began in December 2002 and is widely regarded as a historic breakthrough in relations between the two neighboring countries. On March 13, 2025, in Bishkek, Presidents Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan signed the Treaty on the Kyrgyz-Tajik State Border, establishing the legal framework for long-term stability, confidence-building, and sustainable development in border regions. The joint Kyrgyz-Tajik demarcation commission has since carried out field surveys covering approximately 416 kilometers of the border between Kyrgyzstan’s Batken Region and Tajikistan’s Sughd Region. It has identified locations for 1,627 border signs, comprising 1,954 border pillars. Both governments describe the completion of legal border formalization and physical demarcation as a key step toward improving regional security, promoting socioeconomic development in border areas, expanding bilateral cooperation, and deepening relations between the two countries. For decades, the Kyrgyz-Tajik border was one of the most volatile in Central Asia. Disputes rooted in conflicting Soviet-era maps, competition over water resources and pastureland, and the complex geography of enclaves such as Vorukh repeatedly triggered clashes between local communities and security forces. The most serious confrontations occurred in April 2021 and September 2022, when fighting involving heavy artillery and armed drones resulted in military and civilian casualties and forced thousands of residents to flee their homes. The border settlement forms part of efforts by Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to resolve territorial disputes inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At a summit in Khujand on March 31, 2025, Presidents Japarov, Rahmon, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed an agreement defining the junction point of the three countries’ state borders, formally ending decades of territorial disagreements. The three leaders also inaugurated the Friendship Stele, erected at the point where the three national borders meet as a symbol of reconciliation and a new phase of regional cooperation. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has also proposed establishing the Dostuk, or Friendship, International Trade and Economic Park jointly with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in the tri-border area. The initiative is expected to boost cross-border trade, attract investment, and create new economic opportunities throughout the Ferghana Valley.

3 months ago

AI-92 Gasoline

Kyrgyzstan Seeks to Boost AI-92 Gasoline Production as Fuel Supply Pressures Persist

Kyrgyzstan is seeking to increase domestic production of AI-92 gasoline by upgrading surplus low-octane AI-80 fuel. The country continues to face rising fuel prices and supply uncertainty because it relies heavily on imports from Russia. Kyrgyz Petroleum Company (KPC) has issued a tender for chemical additives needed to produce AI-92 gasoline from AI-80 fuel. The company operates an oil refinery in Manas, formerly Jalal-Abad, in southern Kyrgyzstan. The facility can process 500,000 tons of crude oil annually. The refinery mainly produces AI-80 gasoline. Domestic demand for this grade has virtually disappeared, leaving significant stockpiles. Earlier this year, the government authorized exports of domestically produced AI-80 gasoline and diesel fuel to Tajikistan and Afghanistan. The move comes as Kyrgyzstan faces growing pressure from disruptions in the Russian fuel market. Russia supplies more than 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s imported petroleum products. It has imposed temporary restrictions on gasoline exports after Ukrainian drone attacks on oil-processing facilities reduced refinery output. Kyrgyzstan imports approximately 1.2 million tons of petroleum products annually. Domestic refineries currently satisfy only about 5% of national demand, while total annual fuel consumption is estimated at 1.6 million tons. KPC’s refinery is undergoing a $410 million modernization project designed to reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuel. SPEC Engineering, based in the United States, is carrying out the work. External investors are providing $200 million, and Kyrgyzstan’s government is contributing $110 million. Kyrgyzneftegaz, KPC’s parent company, is providing the remaining $100 million. When the project is completed at the end of 2027, the refinery is expected to begin producing AI-92 and AI-95 gasoline that meets K-4 and K-5 Eurasian Economic Union environmental standards. At the launch of the project in September 2024, President Sadyr Japarov said the refinery met only 6.5% of Kyrgyzstan’s demand for high-quality gasoline and diesel fuel. He said its share would rise to 32% after the upgrade. The Manas refinery is one of Kyrgyzstan’s two largest refining facilities. The other is the Junda refinery in Kara-Balta, also known as the Zhongda refinery. It is being upgraded, with completion scheduled for August 2026. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan has recently eased its temporary fuel price controls in an effort to stabilize supplies. The government introduced emergency regulation of fuel prices on May 25. Benchmark import prices were set at $860 per ton for AI-92 gasoline and $940 per ton for AI-95 gasoline. The benchmarks for diesel fuel and liquefied petroleum gas were $950 and $575 per ton, respectively. However, a resolution signed on July 7 by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev removed AI-95 gasoline from the list of socially significant goods subject to state price regulation. It also abolished the caps on retail fuel prices set earlier. The government said the changes were intended to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies after AI-95 temporarily disappeared from filling stations in Bishkek.

3 months ago

Aquaculture

Kazakhstan Begins Construction of Its First Fish Feed Plant

Kazakhstan has begun construction of its first plant to produce extruded fish feed, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture. The facility will have an annual capacity of 25,000 tons, helping to meet the needs of the country’s rapidly expanding aquaculture sector. The project is regarded as a strategic step for Kazakhstan’s fisheries industry because it is expected to reduce dependence on imported feed and expand domestic fish production capacity. Commercial fish farming has been growing steadily in recent years. In 2025, Kazakhstan produced approximately 23,000 tons of aquaculture products, including around 4,000 tons of trout. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, aquaculture output is projected to reach 64,700 tons in 2026. The expansion of fish farming has significantly increased demand for high-quality feed. Kazakhstan’s aquaculture sector requires approximately 72,000 tons of fish feed annually. While domestic manufacturers already supply most of this demand, the industry continues to rely on imports for high-protein feed. The shortage is particularly acute for feed used to raise high-value species such as trout and sturgeon, as this type of feed has not previously been produced domestically. The new plant is therefore expected to supply Kazakhstan’s fish farms with high-quality domestic feed. Kazakhstan’s fish market reached 106,500 tons in 2025, up 13% from 2024. According to Serik Sermagambetov, chairman of the Fisheries Committee at the Ministry of Agriculture, fish production is expected to reach 2.5 times its current level by 2028. He cited government support and industry digitalization, with new investment projects also expected to contribute. Commercial fish catches are projected to reach 100,000 tons by 2029. By 2029, the modernization of fish hatcheries is expected to increase annual juvenile fish production from 18 million to 85 million. According to Sermagambetov, Kazakhstan harvested 49,600 tons of fish from natural water bodies and produced 22,900 tons through aquaculture in 2025. Exports totaled 21,000 tons of fish products. The fishing industry currently comprises 537 enterprises employing more than 12,000 people. Fish processing is carried out by 73 facilities with a combined annual capacity of 126,000 tons. Twenty of these plants are authorized to export to the European Union, while Kazakhstan’s fish products are shipped to 21 countries. In 2025, fish processing volumes reached 37,000 tons, up 24% from the previous year. To encourage higher-value processing, the government has introduced tax incentives and financial support measures. Fish processors benefit from a 70% reduction in value-added tax and access to preferential working capital loans at an annual interest rate of 5%. Aquaculture remains a key government priority. State support for fish farms reached approximately $10.1 million in 2026, 11.5 times the 2021 level. Over the same period, the number of registered fish farms doubled to 684.

3 months ago

Critical Minerals

Kazakhstan and South Korea to Establish Rare Metals Research Center in Almaty

Kazakhstan and South Korea are establishing a joint research and technology center in Almaty to support the development of Kazakhstan’s rare metals and critical minerals industry. The Kazakh-Korean Center for Rare and Rare Earth Metals will be established at Satbayev University in partnership with the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and the Korea National Institute of Rare Metals. During a meeting on July 9, representatives of the three institutions discussed how the project will be carried out. They also reviewed the purchase of modern laboratory equipment and long-term scientific and technological cooperation. The center will train specialists for Kazakhstan’s growing rare metals industry and give local researchers access to modern analytical and processing equipment. It will also support joint research with international partners. “The combined scientific potential of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea will enable the implementation of modern technologies for processing strategic raw materials, expand scientific research, and train world-class specialists,” Satbayev University Rector Meiram Begentayev said. According to the university, the facility will become Kazakhstan’s first full-cycle scientific and technological platform dedicated to developing, testing, and commercializing environmentally friendly technologies for the production of high-purity and ultra-high-purity rare and rare earth metals. The center will also conduct fundamental and applied research and pilot new technologies for processing mineral and industrial raw materials. The initiative is part of Kazakhstan’s effort to become a major supplier of critical minerals. Demand is rising from electric vehicle makers and renewable energy companies, while semiconductor and defense industries are also increasing their need for rare metals. Speaking at the C5+1 Critical Minerals Dialogue in Astana on June 10, Minister of Industry and Construction Yersaiyn Nagaspayev described critical minerals as a strategic priority for Kazakhstan’s industrial policy and long-term economic development. He said the country has more than 9,500 mineral deposits, including over 100 containing rare and rare earth metals. Nagaspayev has previously said Kazakhstan is capable of supplying 19 of the 50 critical raw materials identified by the United States and 21 of the 34 minerals included on the European Union’s critical raw materials list, positioning the country as an increasingly important participant in global supply chains. Kazakhstan already produces strategic materials including beryllium, titanium, tantalum, niobium, rhenium, antimony, bismuth, selenium, and tellurium, both as primary metals and as components used in advanced industrial applications.

4 months ago

Almaty-Issyk-Kul Flights

Direct Flights Between Almaty and Lake Issyk-Kul Resume

Kyrgyzstan’s state-owned Asman Airlines will resume seasonal direct flights between Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, and Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan’s leading summer tourist destination. One-hour flights will begin on July 10 and arrive at Issyk-Kul International Airport in the village of Tamchy on the lake’s northern shore. The service will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, in partnership with tour operator Kompas, Asman Airlines’ official partner in Kazakhstan. Round-trip fares start at $120. Asman Airlines currently operates three Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, Canadian-made short-haul turboprop planes capable of carrying up to 80 passengers over distances of up to 2,000 kilometers. The aircraft are used on domestic routes across Kyrgyzstan after the airline recently restored air links between Bishkek and several remote regional centers. Lake Issyk-Kul remains one of the most popular summer destinations for tourists from across Central Asia, particularly residents of Almaty looking for short weekend trips. The Almaty-Tamchy route is expected to make travel easier for visitors from southern Kazakhstan by significantly reducing travel time during the peak holiday season. By road, the journey from Almaty to Issyk-Kul currently covers more than 460 kilometers via Bishkek and usually takes around eight hours. Efforts to shorten the overland route are continuing. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have been advancing a long-discussed highway project intended to directly connect Almaty with Issyk-Kul. Although the two locations are only about 80 kilometers apart in a straight line, mountain ranges force travelers to make a long detour through the Kyrgyz capital. Issyk-Kul has also become more accessible to travelers from Kazakhstan’s capital. According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport, FlyArystan began regular flights between Astana and Issyk-Kul on July 3. The flights operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, using an Airbus A320. On July 8, Asman Airlines also launched a seasonal direct service between Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, and Lake Issyk-Kul.

4 months ago

Fuel Supply

Kyrgyzstan Eases State Fuel Price Controls as Supply Shortages Persist

Kyrgyzstan has partially rolled back its temporary state regulation of motor fuel prices, removing AI-95 gasoline from price controls and abandoning plans to impose maximum retail fuel prices in an effort to stabilize supplies. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the Kyrgyz government introduced temporary state regulation of fuel prices on May 25 amid continued increases in gasoline and diesel prices, driven largely by the country’s dependence on imports from Russia. The government had approved subsidies for imports of gasoline, diesel fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas through September 30, 2026, while setting benchmark import prices at $860 per ton for AI-92 gasoline, $940 per ton for AI-95 gasoline, $950 per ton for diesel fuel, and $575 per ton for liquefied petroleum gas. Under a new resolution signed on July 7 by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev, AI-95 gasoline has been removed from the list of socially significant goods subject to temporary state price regulation. The decision effectively cancels the state price controls introduced just two weeks earlier. It follows reports that AI-95 gasoline had disappeared from several filling stations in Bishkek. The July 7 resolution also abolishes the maximum allowable retail fuel prices established under the May 25 decree. According to the government, the changes are intended to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies to consumers. The policy adjustment comes as Russia continues to tighten fuel exports. In recent weeks, several Russian regions have imposed restrictions on gasoline sales following reduced refinery output caused by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil-processing facilities. Moscow has already restricted gasoline exports and imposed a temporary ban on jet fuel exports. Kyrgyzstan remains heavily dependent on imported fuel. The country imports approximately 1.2 million tons of petroleum products annually, while domestic refineries meet only about 5% of national demand. Total annual fuel consumption is estimated at 1.6 million tons, with more than 90% supplied by Russia. First Deputy Prime Minister Daniyar Amangeldiyev told the 24.kg news agency that the government is actively diversifying fuel imports through negotiations with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, European suppliers, Türkiye, China, Russia, Belarus, and Azerbaijan. According to Amangeldiyev, China has confirmed a contract to supply the first 3,000 tons of jet fuel to Kyrgyzstan, while negotiations are underway for an additional 5,000 tons of diesel fuel. The Kyrgyz government has also signed agreements with Belarus covering 3,000 tons of jet fuel and approximately 10,000 tons of diesel fuel. The reversal shows how quickly price controls can collide with supply constraints in a market still heavily dependent on Russian fuel.

4 months ago

New Air Route

Direct Flights Between Tashkent and Lake Issyk-Kul Launched

Kyrgyzstan’s state-owned Asman Airlines will launch a seasonal direct service between Tashkent and Lake Issyk-Kul on July 8, expanding transport links between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan during the peak summer tourism season. The route is being introduced in partnership with Uzbek tour operator Malva Tour and is intended to make travel to Kyrgyzstan’s largest resort area more convenient for visitors from Uzbekistan. Flights will operate once a week, every Wednesday, arriving at Issyk-Kul International Airport in the village of Tamchy on the lake’s northern shore. The journey will take approximately one hour and 20 minutes. Round-trip fares start at $160, according to Asman Airlines. Lake Issyk-Kul, one of Central Asia’s most popular summer destinations, attracts visitors from across the region with its mountain scenery, beaches, and resort infrastructure. The new route is expected to strengthen tourism ties between the neighboring countries by reducing travel time and improving direct access to the lake. Uzbekistan remains Kyrgyzstan’s largest source of international visitors, accounting for more than 40% of all inbound foreign tourists each year. Visa-free travel, close geographic proximity, and relatively affordable holiday costs have made Kyrgyzstan a popular destination for Uzbek travelers. The launch of the new route reflects broader efforts by Central Asian countries to improve regional connectivity and capitalize on growing cross-border tourism as travel demand continues to recover.

4 months ago

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