For most of the last two decades, China has been the most obvious source of foreign direct investment for the countries of Central Asia. But for the two poorest countries of the region -- Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan -- truly strategic investment from Beijing appeared to peak in the middle of that period. if(window.
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But more recently there has been something of a lull -- or at least an absence of eye-catching deals by Beijing for major projects. Recent official rhetoric suggests that Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are eyeing fresh investment splurges from China, with one of those projects -- the multibillion dollar China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway -- rivaling some of Beijing’s largest projects in the region. That is all positive, but can they enjoy a new wave of investment and avoid the “debt trap” that has become part of the BRI .
