Participants of the 2nd Friendly Dialogue of Cross-Border Cooperation between Kazakhstan and China agreed to strengthen bilateral economic relations, Kazpravda.kz reports citing the press service of the Government of Kazakhstan.
The dialogue took place in Almaty as part of an official visit by Ma Xingrui, member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the CPC Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, to Kazakhstan. The key region traditionally linking the countries is Chinese Xinjiang, which accounts for more than 40% of the total trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China.
"This year, the One Belt, One Road initiative turns 10 years old. During this period, our partnership has reached a new qualitative level. Positive dynamics are observed in all areas of cooperation. Today, 3,300 joint ventures operate in Kazakhstan in such strategic industries as mining and metallurgical complex, manufacturing industry and others," Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin noted at the forum.
“Kazakhstan is ready to increase the volume of annual wheat supplies to China to 1 million tons and more. For this, among other things, there are infrastructural opportunities. I have given instructions on the pilot direction of one railway train of grain to the bonded zone of the PRC,” Zhumangarin said.
In 2022, the volume of cargo transportation in transit by the railway of Kazakhstan increased by 1.1 million tons and amounted to 9.4 million tons. Transit transportation by road from China doubled and amounted to 980.6 thousand tons.
On the sidelines of the forum, bilateral B2B negotiations were held between Kazakh and Chinese entrepreneurs in various sectors of the economy: construction, energy, mining, agriculture, food industry, engineering, tourism, investment and others. 16 bilateral documents were signed, including 5 commercial ones worth $565.4 million.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 28, 2023