The first Kazakhstan–China Transport Forum has officially opened in Astana, Kazakhstan's capital, the press service of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan reports.
The forum was inaugurated by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport Marat Karabayev and China’s Minister of Transport Liu Wei. The event brought together over 300 participants, including representatives from the business community and transport and logistics companies from both countries.
The forum’s agenda includes B2B (business-to-business) and G2B (government-to-business) meetings. On the first day, these discussions already resulted in the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between SPG Qingdao Port Group and Kazakhstan’s Kuryk Port.
According to the memorandum, both sides aim to deepen cooperation in port planning and development, operational and management processes, and the construction of smart and environmentally friendly ports. The agreement also addresses personnel training, process optimization, and productivity improvement.
The document also provides for short-term exchange visits to share experience and expertise.
As part of the forum, the ministers of transport from Kazakhstan and China held a bilateral meeting, resulting in several key agreements:
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The establishment of a multimodal transit corridor along the route Russia – Kazakhstan – China, utilizing the cross-border Irtysh River;
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Construction of a new cross-border bridge at the Maikapshagai – Zimunai checkpoint for heavy freight transport;
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Opening of a third air corridor between the two countries;
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Launch of two new road border checkpoints between East Kazakhstan and Almaty regions and neighboring Chinese provinces;
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Introduction of a passenger train service on the Almaty – Xi’an route.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
May 16, 2025