ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 2. Chinese YTO Express Co. will build Central Asia's largest e-commerce distribution center in Kazakhstan, Trend reports.
This topic was discussed during a meeting between the Minister of Trade and Integration, Arman Shakkaliev, and the chairman of the board and founder of the Chinese company, Yu Huijiao.
This center will ensure prompt processing of goods and their delivery to the countries of the EU, EAEU, and Central Asia. Intelligent IT solutions will make it possible to fully automate logistics procedures and enable delivery through customs.
During the meeting, the parties reviewed the prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation in e-commerce and related industries.
Shakkaliev noted that the e-commerce market in Kazakhstan is developing rapidly, showing annual growth of more than 20 percent.
"The Chinese e-commerce market is striking in its size, with more than 70 percent of sales carried out online. Kazakhstan, with its advantageous geographical location, strives to become a key transit zone for international e-commerce. A joint project with Kazpost to create a distribution center in Kazakhstan will give new impetus to the development of cross-border trade," he said.
In turn, Yu Huijiao noted that this project is unique in Central Asia and will cover the entire region. To expand global logistics hubs, the company also plans to build 5 more distribution centers in other countries.
The Chinese side intends to implement the project in the near future. Arman Shakkaliev confirmed Kazakhstan’s readiness to continue active work.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to sign a joint action plan.
Meanwhile, the volume of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China amounted to $6.27 billion from January through March 2024. This volume increased by 6.3 percent compared to the same period in 2023 ($5.9 billion).
At the same time, exports to China for the above period amounted to $3.18 billion, while imports from China amounted to $3.09 billion.