ASTANA (TCA) — On October 6, representatives of the diplomatic community accredited in Kazakhstan visited the Khorgos-Eastern Gate FEZ and the Khorgos International Center of Border Cooperation (ICBС) located at the Kazakh-Chinese border in Kazakhstan’s Almaty province.
The event, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), was attended by Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov, Akim (Governor) of the Almaty region, Amandyk Batalov, and Chairman of the Board of KTZ Kanat Alpysbayev, KTZ’s press service reported.
“Over the past 10 years, Kazakhstan has invested about $30 billion in transport and logistics infrastructure. By 2020, it is planned to invest about $8.4 billion, which will give an additional impetus to the Silk Road trade flows,” Alpysbayev said in his speech.
Alpysbayev informed the foreign diplomats about the transport and logistics capabilities of the Khorgos FEZ, which is one of the key projects of the Nurly Zhol infrastructure development program.
Being located at the intersection of important routes from China and Southeast Asia to the CIS countries, Europe, the countries of the Persian Gulf, the Khorgos FEZ ensures the further integration of Kazakhstan into the global transport and trading system.
Technologically linked to the Zhetygen – Korgas and Zhezkazgan – Beyneu railway lines, the Western Europe-Western China road corridor and the port of Aktau, the Khorgos-Eastern Gate FEZ is an important center for the consolidation and distribution of freight traffic along the New Silk Road.
To provide integrated transport and logistics services according to the “one window” principle, the KTZE – Khorgos Gateway terminal complex operates on the territory of the FEZ. There is an overload, clearance and cargo handling in the railway communication between Kazakhstan and China.
“Today, in cooperation with 17 Chinese provinces, Vietnam and South Korea, over 200 thousand containers are transported. In general, the transit potential of Kazakhstan in the direction of the markets of Eurasia is estimated at up to 2 million TEU by 2020,” Alpysbayev said.
Currently, investors in the territory of the FEZ are implementing projects worth about 1.7 billion dollars.
The foreign diplomats were also told about the activities of the ICBC Khorgos. The Center, established at the initiative of the Kazakh president in December 2002, is a large complex of trade, economic, and tourist cooperation. The ICBC consists of the Kazakhstani and Chinese parts located on the border adjacent territories of the two states, with a total area of more than 760 hectares and connected by a “Special crossing” passing through the state border. Khorgos ICBC has a special economic zone with technological and customs preferences.
