Kazakhstan and China have signed more than $15 billion worth of commercial agreements during President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s visit to Shanghai, expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, digitalisation, transport and industry.
The deals build on a rapidly expanding economic relationship. Bilateral trade reached a record $49 billion last year, while Chinese investment in Kazakhstan has exceeded $30 billion. More than 8,500 companies with Chinese capital are currently operating in the country.
Speaking to senior Chinese business leaders, Tokayev described the next phase of relations as a new “golden thirty years” of cooperation. He said Kazakhstan was seeking more than an inflow of capital and wanted to develop technologies, research centres, production chains and skilled workers together with international partners.
“Our goal is not simply to attract capital. We aim to jointly develop new technologies, establish research centres, build new production chains and invest in human capital that will advance the economy of knowledge,” Tokayev said.
Artificial intelligence is becoming an important part of Kazakhstan’s economic strategy. The government is inviting Chinese technology companies to participate in the development of data centres, smart cities, digital logistics and other infrastructure intended to support innovation and attract international investors.
That digital focus is also being applied to transport. Around 85% of rail freight between China and Europe passes through Kazakhstan, which has invested more than $35 billion in transport infrastructure. Tokayev said the competitiveness of modern trade routes now depended not only on railways and ports, but also on faster data exchange, digital integration and greater transparency.
Kazakhstan is developing the Smart Cargo platform to bring customs, logistics and commercial services into a single digital system. The aim is to reduce delays and allow goods to cross borders more efficiently.
Several major infrastructure projects were also discussed during the visit. At a meeting with Zhang Binnan, President of China Communications Construction Company, Tokayev highlighted the planned Bakhty-Ayagoz railway as a strategic project that could increase freight volumes between Kazakhstan and China.
Kazakhstan also signed an agreement with China’s Guoyou Materials Group to build a multifunctional port complex at Kuryk on the Caspian Sea. Initial investment is expected to reach $300 million, with the total cost potentially rising to $1.1 billion.
Construction is due to begin in 2026, with the facility scheduled to open in 2028. The port will have an annual capacity of 15 million tonnes and is expected to strengthen the Middle Corridor, the trade route connecting Asia and Europe through Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
The agreements signed in Shanghai reflect a broader shift in Kazakhstan-China relations, with both countries combining traditional investment in transport and industry with growing cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital systems and higher-value manufacturing.
Read more:
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow ear...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remai...
Indonesia deployed thousands of security personnel around parliament and other major cities on Thursday as students returned to the streets, one ye...
Rescuers in Nepal used helicopters on Thursday to scour for hundreds still missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a river on the Himalayan border with China's Tibet, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys, killing 162 people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for greater economic cooperation among Muslim countries, saying their combined economic weight remains disproportionately small compared with their population, strategic location and resources.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 10 prisoners of war each in Belarus, Moscow's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed media reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow earlier this week to warn Russia against attacking NATO, dismissing them as "scare stories," which had nothing to do with reality.
The inaugural Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum brought together policymakers, investors and technology companies as Central Asia looks to build a more connected financial system and compete for a bigger share of global fintech investment.
Kazakhstan is discussing support for the Trans-Caspian green energy corridor with the European Commission, as work continues on a project to transmit electricity from Central Asia towards European markets, Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry said.
Uzbekistan's region of Karakalpakstan is developing three cryptocurrency mining facilities and three data centers with a combined investment of $5.1 billion, as the region seeks to attract larger and higher-quality investments.
A restaurant payment with a Visa card in Damascus has become a symbol of Syria’s reconnection with the global financial system.
The Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum will bring more than 6,000 policymakers, investors and technology leaders from 74 countries to Tashkent, as Central Asia seeks a bigger role in the global fintech landscape.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment