ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 28. The volume of cargo transportation between Kazakhstan and China has increased significantly in 2023, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said during a speech at the plenary session of the Boao Forum for Asia, held annually in the Chinese province of Hainan, Trend reports.
"The current state of relations between Kazakhstan and China serves as an example of a successful collaboration, as our country has emerged as China's primary trading and economic partner in Central Asia. China makes up half of the commerce and investment in the region with Kazakhstan. The amount of trade that took place between China and Kazakhstan last year was $41 billion, a record. 2023 saw a 22 percent growth in the amount of cargo transported between our two nations, totaling nearly 30 million tons," he stated.
According to Tokayev, the mega-project 'One Belt, One Road' was first presented during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan more than ten years ago.
"The project serves as a key bridge between East and West, with Kazakhstan carrying 80 percent of all land transport between China and Europe. We have to seize this important advantage to the fullest. Our own investments are strategically linked to the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and are aimed at creating modern multimodal, environmentally friendly, and sustainable infrastructure," Tokayev noted.
To note, the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in more than 150 countries and international organizations.
As of August 2023, 155 countries were listed as having signed up to the initiative. The participating countries include almost 75 percent of the world's population and account for more than half of the world's GDP.