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Kazakhstan and China to Double Trade, Increase Cargo Transportation

On November 4, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov arrived in Shanghai and held talks with his Chinese counterpart China Li Qiang. They discussed strengthening trade, investment, transport and logistics cooperation, agriculture, energy, and tourism. Kazakhstan and China aim to double bilateral trade turnover from last year’s historic high of $41 billion. In January-September 2024, Kazakh-Chinese trade totaled $33 billion. Bektenov stressed that Kazakhstan is ready to increase exports to China of 180 high-value-added commodity items worth $1.6 billion. Bilateral agricultural trade increased by 5.8% from January to September 2024, reflecting China’s growing demand for Kazakhstani organic and environmentally-friendly agricultural products. The sides discussed expanding the export of Kazakh grain, crops, and livestock products. Regarding the transport and logistics sector, the Kazakh and Chinese prime ministers noted that over 80% of land cargo transportation from China to Europe today passes through Kazakhstan. Therefore, Kazakhstan is interested in deepening cooperation within China’s Belt and Road Initiative framework. Bektenov noted that this globally important project, together with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (the Middle Corridor), running through the territory of Kazakhstan, can unlock the potential of the North-South and East-West corridors. In January-September 2024, the traffic volume along the Middle Corridor exceeded the previous year's figures by 23% and amounted to 3.4 million tons. This figure is expected to increase to 10 million tons annually by 2030. Bektenov also attended the Kazakh-Chinese investment roundtable in Shanghai, which resulted in the signing of commercial agreements with Chinese companies totaling $2.5 billion, including on energy projects and localized automotive production. Addressing the forum, Bektenov said: "Kazakhstan and China have huge potential for implementing joint investment projects. Together, we can open new horizons for interaction and increase the effectiveness of cooperation. To this end, we should actively work to expand transit opportunities, strengthen industrial cooperation, and build ties between our business communities."

New Container Transport Route Connects India and Uzbekistan

JSC “Uztemiryulkonteyner” reports on its Telegram channel that container transportation had been launched on a new multimodal route connecting India and Uzbekistan. It was reported that transportation from the Indian ports of Mundra, Nhava Sheva, and Chennai to Uzbekistan was successfully organized using a new multimodal route. The cargo was delivered by sea from India to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and then by rail to the Sergeli station in Uzbekistan. The containers are first transported from the Bandar Abbas port to the Sarakhs station on Iranian platforms, reloaded onto JSC “Uzbekistan Railways” platforms, and sent to Uzbekistan via Turkmenistan. According to JSC “Uztemiryulkonteyner”, a freight train consisting of 20 20-foot containers took 20 days to cover the distance. The total length of the railway is 2673 km. In the future, the transportation period is planned to be reduced to 15 days.

First Cargo Transported from Pakistan to Azerbaijan via Kazakhstan

A Pakistani transport and logistics company, TCS, has now completed a pilot delivery of goods from Karachi (Pakistan) to Baku (Azerbaijan) through the Caspian seaport of Aktau in Kazakhstan. The shipment was organized with the assistance of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Islamabad, in an effort to expand Kazakhstan’s transit transport potential. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry announced that the transportation of Pakistani pharmaceutical products under TIR, along the 4,820 km long route through Afghanistan and Uzbekistan to Aktau and then by sea to Baku, took 21 days. According to Pakistani logistics experts, the Trans-Afghan corridor in tandem with the Karakoram Highway, can provide significant impetus to expanding the transit and transport potential of Kazakhstan and Pakistan, with reference to the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.  

Kazakhstan Increases Cargo Transshipment through Caspian Seaports along TITR

As announced by the Kazakh Transport Ministry, the volume of cargo shipped through Kazakhstan’s seaports of Aktau and Kuryk along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) increased by 15% during the first quarter of this year. Cargo transshipment by trucks through the port of Kuryk rose by 34% and by rail containers through the port of Aktau by 27%. The transit of rail containers from China to EU countries through Kazakhstan grew 3.4-fold. To further increase the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, the Ministry of Transport will begin dredging the port of Kuryk from mid-summer to provide sufficient depth for ships to enter the harbor.    

Digitalization Eases Cargo Processing on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route

On 30 April , Singaporean company Global DTC gave a presentation of multimodal platforms Digital Trade Corridor and Tez Customs at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport. The demonstration reiterated benefits afforded by digitalization in ensuring transparency and high-speed transit of goods through Kazakhstan along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) connecting China and Europe through Central Asia and the Caucasus. The DTC platform, and particularly its Track & Trace service, allows shippers to track the location of cargo and its customs status online, as well as update information on transport documents along the entire route. Work on the technical integration for Track & Trace in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan has now been completed, and its integration in Georgia is ongoing. Negotiations are also underway with Chinese and European partners. The introduction of the Tez Customs platform, by offering automated, paperless customs transit clearance, registration and electronic transit declaration, has reduced processing to just 30 minutes. During the first quarter of this year, cargo traffic along the TITR increased by 33% compared to the same period last year.