Kazakh-Chinese Trade - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakh-Chinese Trade

QazTrade Opens Office in Tianjin to Strengthen Kazakhstan-China Trade Ties

Kazakhstan’s QazTrade Center for Trade Policy Development has opened a new office, Kazakhstan Hall, at the International Trade and Shipping Service Center in Tianjin, one of northern China’s leading industrial and port cities. Spanning 100 square meters, the office is designed primarily to showcase Kazakhstani food products and facilitate trade promotion in the Chinese market. It is currently operating in pilot mode, with an expanding exhibition area and ongoing preparations to formally register QazTrade’s representative office. The official opening ceremony is expected later this autumn. According to QazTrade, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Tianjin reached $347.9 million in 2023 and rose to $474 million in 2024, a sign of steady growth in bilateral commerce. Tianjin serves as a key logistics and trade hub for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states. It offers Kazakhstan access to a “green-light corridor” for SCO countries, multimodal transport links between Asia and Europe, and a variety of investment and financial services. “The opening of the QazTrade office in Tianjin is an important step for us,” said QazTrade Director General Aitmukhammed Aldazharov. “Through the Tianjin port, we will be able to deliver Kazakhstani goods to any country in the world faster and more efficiently.” Growing Bilateral Trade Kazakhstan-China trade continues to gain momentum. During a meeting with Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev on August 20 in Beijing, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao stated that bilateral trade reached $43.8 billion in 2024, a 9.2% increase compared to the previous year. In the first half of 2025 alone, trade turnover totaled $21.8 billion. Kazakhstan and China have set a joint target to double bilateral trade by 2030, with expanded cooperation in logistics, agriculture, energy, and manufacturing forming the core of future initiatives.

Trade

Kazakh-Chinese Container Terminal Launches in Almaty

The Zhetysu container terminal, a new logistics hub jointly developed by Kazakhstan and China, officially opened in Almaty on June 10, marking a significant step in regional freight infrastructure development. The project is a partnership between Kazakhstan’s national railway operator, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), and Xi’an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd. of China. Designed to handle up to 115,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) annually, the Zhetysu terminal is expected to serve as a strategic center for consolidating and distributing Chinese goods transported via rail and road. Situated at the intersection of key international transit corridors, the terminal is positioned to become Kazakhstan’s largest import hub and a vital link along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), a growing trade pathway connecting China and Europe through Central Asia. The facility spans 9.8 hectares. Its container yard covers 9,200 square meters and can store up to 1,101 TEU at a time. It also features 23,400 square meters of warehouse space and an 8,900-square-meter parking area for commercial vehicles. The terminal’s launch was marked by the arrival of the first container train from Xi’an, home to the Kazakh-Chinese cargo terminal that began operations in February 2024. Yuan Xiaojun, General Director of Xi’an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation, described the new Almaty terminal as both a symbol of China-Kazakhstan cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative and a catalyst for greater regional economic integration. “This international logistics hub will help ensure sustainable growth in economic cooperation between China, Kazakhstan, and the broader Eurasian region,” Yuan said.

Kazakh-Chinese Trade

China’s Jiangsu Province and Soho Holding Group to Build Multifunctional Center in Astana

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliyev, visited China on April 3, where he met with officials from Jiangsu Province and representatives of Jiangsu Soho Holding Group in Nanjing, the province’s capital. During the meeting, the Chinese side presented design concepts for a planned multifunctional center to be built in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, in 2026. According to the trade ministry, the future center will strengthen Kazakh-Chinese trade and business relations. It will serve as a venue for showcasing Chinese and Kazakh goods, hosting business negotiations, registering trade transactions, and providing consulting services. The complex will also include a trade pavilion, a cultural center, and an office for Jiangsu Soho Holding Group. The sides also discussed plans to hold a Jiangsu Province goods exhibition in Astana from June 11 to 13, to coincide with the upcoming Central Asia-China summit. As part of his visit, Shakkaliyev toured the Central Asia-Jiangsu Trade Center and the National Pavilion of Kazakhstan in Nanjing, which opened in September 2024. The trade center is a multifunctional platform promoting exports from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, and is designed to increase Central Asian access to the Chinese market. Shakkaliyev also held talks with Eurasia Construction Capital Co. Ltd, which is planning to launch an investment project in Kazakhstan’s Atyrau region to establish a private special economic zone (SEZ) or industrial park. The initial investment is estimated at $100 million. Seven major Chinese companies, specializing in petrochemical products, renewable energy, and construction materials, have expressed interest in participating in the SEZ. The minister affirmed the government’s full support for the initiative, highlighting its potential to develop high value-added production in Kazakhstan.