Kazakhstan and China to introduce new data sharing system

KTZ Express, a transportation and logistical company within the national railway company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), is working with China Xinjiang Electronic Port to launch a new data sharing platform designed to speed up customs clearance for Kazakhstani and Chinese carriers, the KTZ said in a statement.

According to the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, in 2022, the transit of cargo from China via Kazakhstan increased by 13% and reached 9.4 million tons of cargo. In order to prove their intentions, the two countries have agreed to build trade hubs in Urumchi and Almaty. Moreover, a third railway border crossing is expected to be opened in the vicinity of the current automobile crossing Bakhty-Chuguchak.

Trade Minister Serik Zhumangarin believes that Kazakhstan is capable of exporting more than 135 types of goods for $1 billion to China per year. For example, the country’s government has announced its plan to export about one million tons of wheat to China.

The official statistics published by APK Inform show that in 2020-2021 Kazakhstan exported 306,800 tons of wheat to China. However, over the period from September 2022 to January 2023, the wheat export from Kazakhstan to the PRC plunged to 24,400 tons.