A new transport and logistics terminal has been opened in the Chinese dry port of Xi’an. It is the latest link in China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, in which Kazakhstan has become a leading partner.
The terminal includes an innovation center created by Kazakhstan’s national rail company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), in partnership with Huawei.
The center is part of the One Belt, One Road initiative’s new ‘Smart Railway’ project. At its opening ceremony, Kazakhstan’s president Kassim-Jomart Tokayev commented: “This project will give a new impetus to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, as well as strengthen trade and economic cooperation in Eurasia”.
Xi’an, China’s largest dry port, connects the city of Shaanxi with Central Asia and Europe. The capacity of Kazakhstan’s terminal in Xi’an is more than 66,500 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) per year. This will allow Kazakhstan to become an even bigger transit hub in Eurasia.
