The government of Kazakhstan is setting up an “anti-crisis plan” to deal with the fallout from the sanctions against Russia (Eurasianet). Because Kazakhstan, like the rest of the Central Asian countries, relies heavily on the export of raw materials to Russia and the import of refined goods from the same, the sanctions that are being levied against Russia are also hitting its economy. According to Kazakhstan’s President’s spokesman “The plan is to consider the development of an anti-crisis action plan amid a worsening geopolitical situation and tougher anti-Russian sanctions.”

Kazakhstan is further distancing itself from the former president Nazarbayev’s legacy as the ruling party is renamed “Amanat” from “Nur-Otan”, (RFE/RL). The renaming occurred after Nazarbayev’s daughter, Darigha, gave up her seat in the parliament. The new party name is mostly a symbolic move, as more concrete actions to remove Nazarbayev loyalists from power have been taking place since the January events.

In other news, it is being reported that the Chinese exporters are facing difficulties because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions that followed (SCMP). Russian clients have become reluctant to make payments as sanctions have caused a massive devaluation of the ruble and the Ukrainian clients cannot be reached due to the ongoing war. This is hurting the export-oriented Chinese economy.

On a related note, China is said to have suspended loans to Russia and Belarus (SCMP). The Russian invasion of Ukraine is given as the reason for putting the loans on hold. While Belarus is not a combatant in the war, its soil has been allegedly used as a staging ground for Russian invasion forces, including the ones that are pushing towards Kyiv.