In Beijing, the Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliev, met with the Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Wentao.
The talks were held in a spirit of friendly and substantive dialogue and aimed at implementing the agreements reached by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and President Xi Jinping of China at the Second “Central Asia – China” Summit. The ministers confirmed the high level of comprehensive strategic cooperation based on the special relationship between the two heads of state.
It is the trust and personal contacts between Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Xi Jinping that serve as the driving force for further strengthening the “eternal comprehensive strategic partnership” and give new impetus to deepening trade and economic ties.
Wang Wentao emphasized that trade dynamics indicate steady growth: in 2024, bilateral trade reached $43.8 billion, which is 9.2% higher than the previous year, and in the first half of 2025 it amounted to $21.8 billion. These figures confirm the feasibility of the goal to double mutual trade turnover by 2030.
Arman Shakkaliev noted that to achieve this goal, the Joint Action Plan and the Roadmap for the Development of Cross-Border Trade are being implemented within the framework of the “Belt and Road” initiative. This will significantly strengthen Kazakhstan’s transit potential and give a new impetus to the interconnectivity of the two economies.
A separate part of the talks was devoted to promoting Kazakhstan’s non-resource exports and high value-added products. Arman Shakkaliev stated his readiness to focus efforts on developing processing and producing high value-added goods for subsequent export to China under the principle of “invest and sell.”
The parties also discussed digitalization of customs procedures, development of e-commerce, and joint efforts to remove barriers within the WTO framework. Kazakhstan proposed further expansion of national pavilions of the Republic of Kazakhstan on major Chinese online platforms, emphasizing the successes of the Memorandum of Cooperation on e-commerce signed between the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Commerce of China at the Second “Central Asia – China” Summit. Thanks to this agreement, e-commerce with China has reached a new level, consolidating the commitment of both sides to expanding mutually beneficial partnerships and creating favorable conditions in logistics, investment, and exchange of e-commerce expertise.
The prospects for attracting Chinese investment into Kazakhstan’s real economy were also discussed. The Kazakh side proposed considering the reduction of import tariffs in China on Kazakh goods and emphasized the advisability of establishing deep processing projects in Kazakhstan with the participation of Chinese capital.
Special attention was paid to regionalization of cooperation, which was supported by the Chinese side. Since the beginning of 2024, Kazakhstan has conducted six trade missions in Nanjing, Chengdu, Urumqi, Xi’an, Chongqing, and Guangzhou, establishing close ties with businesses and administrations of Jiangsu, Sichuan, Hunan, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Guangdong provinces. The Chinese Minister of Commerce supported this approach and proposed to continue regionalization in the future.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade, Arman Shakkaliev, announced plans to expand the network of Kazakhstan’s trade representations in other key regions of China. An important part of the agenda was Kazakhstan’s participation in major Chinese exhibitions — CIIE in Shanghai, CIFTIS in Beijing, and “China–Eurasia Expo” in Urumqi — which provide unique opportunities for promoting domestic products and establishing direct B2B contacts. Wang Wentao expressed interest in the participation of Chinese companies in trade and investment events in Kazakhstan.
The meeting in Beijing became an important milestone in the development of Kazakhstan–China relations, setting new priorities for further expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.