ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 21. In Beijing, China, Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliev met with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, where the Kazakh side proposed reducing import duties on Kazakhstani goods, Trend reports, citing the Ministry of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh delegation also emphasized the importance of establishing projects for deep raw material processing within Kazakhstan, involving Chinese capital.
In response, Wang Wentao highlighted the positive momentum in trade relations, noting that trade turnover reached $43.8 billion in 2024 - a 9.2 percent increase compared to the previous year. In the first half of 2025 alone, turnover amounted to $21.8 billion. These figures, he said, confirm the feasibility of the mutual goal to double bilateral trade by 2030.
Arman Shakkaliev noted that to achieve this goal, a Joint Action Plan and Roadmap for the Development of Cross-Border Trade are being implemented as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. This, he stated, will significantly enhance Kazakhstan’s transit potential and give a new impulse to the economic connectivity of the two countries.
“A separate block of negotiations was dedicated to promoting Kazakhstani non-resource exports and high value-added products. Arman Shakkaliev expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to focus efforts on developing processing industries and producing high value-added goods for subsequent export to China under the 'invest and sell' principle,” the statement reads.
Particular emphasis was placed on regional cooperation, which was supported by the Chinese side. Since the beginning of 2024, Kazakhstan has conducted six trade missions in Nanjing, Chengdu, Urumqi, Xi’an, Chongqing, and Guangzhou - establishing strong ties with businesses and provincial administrations in Jiangsu, Sichuan, Hunan, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Guangdong. The Chinese Minister of Commerce endorsed this approach and proposed continuing regionalization efforts in the future.