SCMP partners with top Kazakh university to deepen Hong Kong’s Central Asia ties

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) has entered into a strategic partnership with Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, aiming to enhance the exchange of knowledge between East and Central Asia. This agreement, signed in Astana ahead of the SCMP's China Conference: Central Asia 2026, formalizes ties between the media organization and the university, a leading academic institution in the region.

The partnership seeks to facilitate academic dialogue, knowledge-sharing, and a stronger connection between Hong Kong's media presence and Central Asia's tech and resource ecosystem. SCMP publisher Tammy Tam emphasized the importance of this collaboration in bridging leading academic research with global media excellence. Nazarbayev University President Professor Waqar Ahmad highlighted how the partnership will bring the university's expertise to a broader international audience and provide the newspaper with new perspectives on the region.

The conference, co-organized by the Astana International Financial Centre, attracted policymakers, institutional investors, and corporate delegates from over 100 companies across the wider region. The Education University of Hong Kong and Polytechnic University also signed separate agreements with Nazarbayev University to strengthen cross-border research and student exchanges.