At the end of 2024, the trade volume between Central Asian countries and China reached nearly $95 billion, increasing by $5.4 billion compared to 2023 ($89.4 billion), according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs, Economist.kg reports.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan contributed the most to this growth, together accounting for over $5 billion in increased trade. Kyrgyzstan recorded the highest growth, expanding its trade with China by $2.9 billion.
Kazakhstan ranked second with an increase of $2.8 billion, while Turkmenistan added $57 million. At the same time, Tajikistan reduced its trade with China by $65 million, and Uzbekistan traded nearly $260 million less with China than in 2023.
In percentage terms, Kazakhstan remains China’s largest trading partner in Central Asia, accounting for 46% of the total trade volume ($43.8 billion). Kyrgyzstan follows with a 24% share ($22.7 billion),
Next are Uzbekistan with 14.5% ($13.7 billion), Turkmenistan with 11% ($10.6 billion), and Tajikistan with 4% ($3.8 billion).
In 2024, China became the leading investor in Kyrgyzstan, investing $222 million over nine months.
In May 2024, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong announced China’s intention to encourage large Chinese companies to invest in Kyrgyzstan’s economy. Discussions included opening additional border checkpoints, improving air connectivity, and creating a joint investment fund.
In September 2024, the third border crossing between Kyrgyzstan and China, Bedel, was officially opened. At the ceremony, then-Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov stated that Bedel would soon become a key international transport and logistics corridor, boosting trade and passenger transport between China and Central Asia.
Additionally, on December 27, 2024, construction began on the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway in the village of Tosh-Kutchu, Jalal-Abad region. During the opening ceremony, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov called the railway project a historic milestone that would mark a new era in regional transport infrastructure development. He described it as a strategic bridge connecting the East and the West.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 29, 2025