During a working visit to the People’s Republic of China, negotiations were held in the city of Urumqi between the Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliev, and the Chairman of the People’s Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Erkin Tuniyaz. The meeting focused on key issues of expanding trade and economic cooperation, attracting investments, and developing interregional interaction.
Xinjiang holds a special place in Kazakhstan–China relations. The region borders four Kazakh regions and is becoming one of the main hubs of business activity. In 2024 alone, trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Xinjiang grew by 20.5% and reached a record $22 billion. Kazakhstan’s total trade with China amounted to $43.8 billion.
“Our partnership with China has always been seen not just as politics but as a relationship of trust and friendship. For Kazakhstan, Xinjiang is a special region: we are neighbors, we share a long common border, and we have many human ties. I can see how under your leadership Xinjiang’s economy is growing and new opportunities are emerging. This inspires us to move forward. Last year, trade turnover with Xinjiang rose to $22 billion — a historic figure. But I am confident that we can achieve even more. It is important not only to increase volumes but also to diversify the very structure of trade by adding new goods and new projects. Kazakhstan is ready for this, and we want our trade turnover to grow not just in numbers but to bring real benefits to people on both sides of the border,” noted Arman Shakkaliev.
The main outcome of the negotiations was an agreement to prepare a Roadmap for the development of trade and economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and Xinjiang. This document will help diversify supplies, develop non-resource exports, and strengthen ties between the regions.
A separate part of the dialogue was devoted to agricultural products. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial exports to China increased by 10.5% to $1.44 billion. According to the minister, considering the growing demand for environmentally friendly products, Kazakhstan intends to expand supplies of grain, oilseeds, and processed goods.
The parties also discussed interregional cooperation. Today, Xinjiang ranks first in the number of twinning agreements with Kazakhstan’s regions and cities. It was proposed to intensify the work of the Interregional Cooperation Forum and continue the practice of holding the Friendly Dialogue on Cross-Border Interaction.
At the end of the meeting, the parties confirmed their common commitment to expanding partnership in trade and investment. Arman Shakkaliev invited Xinjiang’s business community to invest more actively in raw material processing, petrochemicals, and metallurgy, emphasizing that Kazakhstan is ready to offer modern infrastructure solutions and tax incentives for investors.