China's Belt and Road initiative is ploughing through central Asia. The plan, which aims to expand trade links between Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond, was unveiled in 2013. What impact has China's grand plan had so far in Kazakhstan? I went to Almaty - the financial capital - to find out. The lyrical strains of Almaty's latest pop song reverberates through the city's main Chinese market, lending a distinctly Kazakh feel to what looks like a scene that could easily be from Beijing or Shanghai. Inside, signs in both Mandarin and Kazakh point out directions in the warren-like maze.
