Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2
By Ali Mustafayev – Trend:
Kazakhstan and Japan currently cooperate in boosting trade and investment ties in several areas, a source in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan told Trend.
“Japan has imported approximately 158,000 tons of coal from Kazakhstan in 2017,” said the source.
The countries are expected to increase the level of coal trade, however the official information on the amount of future coal imports from Kazakhstan to Japan has not yet been publicized, according to the ministry.
As for private level business, the ministry said that currently no information is available regarding which particular companies are engaged in coal trade with Kazakhstan.
In 2017 the level of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Japan decreased, because of reduction of Kazakh oil supply to Japan, amounting to $217.3 million in the first quarter of 2017.
For comparison, the level of trade turnover in the same period of 2016 was $438.1 million.
Despite the decrease, the countries intend to increase economic cooperation, expanding the range of imported and exported products and services.
Kazakhstan has also offered Japan, to use its territory as a transit platform in transportation of goods to Europe.
The economic relations between Japan and Kazakhstan may be considered complementary, since Kazakhstan is rich with its natural resources, and Japan is reach with advanced technologies and know-how from manufacturers that can meet Kazakhstan’s requirements on diversification of industry and improvement of infrastructure.