RECENTLY, SEVERAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE RAISED THEIR FORECASTS FOR THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN CENTRAL ASIA. THE WORLD BANK HAS RAISED KAZAKHSTAN'S ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST FOR 2021 FROM 2.5% TO 3.2%, AND EXPECTS ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO REACH 3.5% AND 4.3%, RESPECTIVELY. MEANWHILE, IT IS EXPECTED THAT UZBEKISTAN'S ECONOMY WILL GROW BY 4.8% THIS YEAR, AND KYRGYZSTAN WILL GROW BY 3.8%. THE GROWTH EXPECTATIONS OF OTHER COUNTRIES IN CENTRAL ASIA ARE ALSO MORE OPTIMISTIC THAN BEFORE, WITH TAJIKISTAN AND TURKMENISTAN EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE ECONOMIC GROWTH RATES OF 5.0% AND 4.6% RESPECTIVELY THIS YEAR.THE ECONOMIC SITUATION IN CENTRAL ASIA IS GRADUALLY IMPROVING, THANKS TO THE CONTINUOUS POLICIES AND MEASURES INTRODUCED BY GOVERNMENTS OF VARIOUS COUNTRIES TO STABILIZE THE ECONOMY AND ENSURE PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOODS.ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL DATA FROM KAZAKHSTAN, IN 2020, THE TOTAL GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON SUPPORTING THE ECONOMY AND ASSISTING PEOPLE'S LIVELIHOODS REACHED 6.3 TRILLION TENGE (APPROXIMATELY 15 BILLION US DOLLARS), EQUIVALENT TO 9% OF THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT. LAST MAY, KAZAKHSTAN ESTABLISHED THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR PROMOTING ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND LAUNCHED THE "PACKAGE PLAN FOR RESTORING ECONOMIC GROWTH", WHICH INCLUDES IMPLEMENTING THE "EMPLOYMENT ROADMAP", EXPANDING HOUSING CONSTRUCTION SCALE, ADJUSTING THE PERSONAL INCOME TAX COLLECTION SYSTEM, STRENGTHENING CREDIT SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE, ATTRACTING FOREIGN INVESTMENT, AND PROTECTING ENTERPRISE RIGHTS AND INTERESTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW. UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF THE "EMPLOYMENT ROADMAP", THE GOVERNMENT OF KAZAKHSTAN IMPLEMENTED APPROXIMATELY 6700 INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN 2020, CREATING JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR OVER 239000 PEOPLE. IN 2021, THE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO CONTINUE PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE TO 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE UNDER THIS FRAMEWORK, STRIVING TO REDUCE THE NATIONAL UNEMPLOYMENT RATE TO 4.9%.SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE EPIDEMIC, UZBEKISTAN HAS INVESTED IN AND SUPPORTED KEY AREAS SUCH AS ENERGY, AGRICULTURE, CONSTRUCTION, TRANSPORTATION, HEALTH, AND EDUCATION. ACCORDING TO STATISTICS FROM THE UKRAINIAN ECONOMIC RESEARCH AND REFORM CENTER, THE COUNTRY'S AUTOMOBILE AND REAL ESTATE TRADING MARKETS HAVE REBOUNDED FIRST, AND AUTOMOBILE SALES HAVE RETURNED TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS BY AUGUST 2020. IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, THE NUMBER OF REAL ESTATE CONTRACTS SIGNED IN THE COUNTRY INCREASED BY 19.7% YEAR-ON-YEAR. IN 2021, THE REMITTANCE INCOME FROM OVERSEAS CHINESE IN UKRAINE HAS RAPIDLY INCREASED, BECOMING AN IMPORTANT DRIVING FORCE FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY.KYRGYZSTAN, TAJIKISTAN, AND TURKMENISTAN HAVE ALSO INTRODUCED A SERIES OF ECONOMIC STIMULUS PLANS, INCLUDING OPTIMIZING THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT, REDUCING TAXES AND FEES FOR ENTERPRISES AND INDIVIDUALS, PROVIDING PREFERENTIAL LOANS TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES, STABILIZING IMPORTANT COMMODITY MARKET PRICES, AND CARRYING OUT INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION.CURRENTLY, A NEW ROUND OF EPIDEMICS HAS EMERGED IN SOME REGIONS OF CENTRAL ASIA. WHILE CONTINUING TO DO A GOOD JOB IN EPIDEMIC PREVENTION AND CONTROL, COUNTRIES IN THE REGION HAVE ALSO LAUNCHED AND ACCELERATED VACCINATION PLANS, AND SOME COUNTRIES ARE ACTIVELY INTRODUCING VACCINES FROM CHINA.EXPERTS POINT OUT THAT WHEN THE ECONOMY OF CENTRAL ASIA CAN FULLY RECOVER TO PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS, ESPECIALLY IN INDUSTRIES SUCH AS SERVICES AND TRADE, LARGELY DEPENDS ON THE SPEED OF VACCINATION. THE OVERALL ECONOMIC RECOVERY IN CENTRAL ASIA IS STILL IN THE EARLY STAGES OF ELIMINATING THE IMPACT OF THE EPIDEMIC, AND MOST COUNTRIES STILL FACE LONG-TERM STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS DECLINING CONSUMER POWER AND LACK OF VITALITY IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY.