Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliev, and Han Chunlin, China’s newly appointed Ambassador to Kazakhstan, discussed the prospects for expanding trade and economic cooperation, as well as interaction in the field of international electronic platforms, Kazinform reports.
Special attention was given to the development of online trade. The discussion covered successful initiatives on major Chinese marketplaces—JD.com, Alibaba, and Douyin. The Kazakhstan National Pavilion on Alibaba, launched in 2022, now includes 290 domestic companies and offers over 7,500 products. The total sales volume through this platform has already exceeded $260 million.
In 2023, Kazakhstan’s pavilion was launched on JD.com, featuring more than 60 product categories. The platform has over 960 million subscribers, and the revenue from sales of Kazakhstani goods on JD.com grew from 1 million yuan in 2023 to 1.3 million yuan in 2024.
According to Arman Shakkaliev, bilateral trade turnover reached a historic high in 2024. The minister emphasized that Kazakhstan is actively working to diversify exports and expand the range of supplied goods.
In turn, Han Chunlin noted the positive dynamics of trade relations:
"According to China’s General Administration of Customs, the volume of bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and China reached $43.8 billion in 2024. Kazakhstan’s exports to China totaled $15.8 billion, reflecting a 9% increase. This trend confirms our steady progress toward the ambitious goal of doubling trade turnover in the near future," the diplomat stressed.
The ambassador also proposed expanding cooperation in energy, agriculture, cross-border trade, and services. He invited Kazakhstani entrepreneurs to participate in the China International Import Expo, which will take place in July this year.
"This year, we are organizing seven specialized zones: manufacturing, clean energy, smart vehicles, digital technologies, healthy lifestyles, medicine, and eco-friendly agricultural products," Han Chunlin said.
Additionally, the parties discussed developing modern infrastructure for online trade, including the expansion of warehouse facilities.
To further strengthen bilateral cooperation, Kazakhstan will conduct a series of trade and economic missions in 2025 and participate in major exhibitions in China.
CentralAsianLIGHT.org
February 10, 2025