Tokayev sets $100 billion trade goal with China in Xinhua interview

September 9, 2026 at 10:37 AM1 min

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Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced a target to raise bilateral trade with China to $100 billion in an interview with Xinhua. He said the two countries' relations have reached an unprecedented high level. The announcement comes as trade turnover approached $50 billion in 2025 and grew 11% year-on-year.

Key Facts

Tokayev called China an 'especially friendly country' and said the strategic partnership spans trade, investment, energy, transport, industry, agriculture, digitalization, medicine, science, education and culture.
Bilateral trade turnover reached approximately $50 billion in 2025, an 11% increase from the previous year.
In the first six months of 2026, trade turnover reached $27.2 billion, up about a quarter compared with the same period last year.
About 85% of land transit shipments from China to Europe pass through Kazakhstan.
Cross-border rail freight exceeded 35 million tonnes in 2025, and road freight carried about 8 million tonnes, up 40% year-on-year.

Trade Target

Tokayev said the two countries face the task of raising mutual trade to $100 billion and improving the quality of economic cooperation. He described the goal as large-scale but fully achievable. China has become Kazakhstan's main foreign trade partner. Tokayev said increasing trade volume alone is not enough and that the two countries should gradually move from a raw-materials model to industrial and technological cooperation. He named joint production, deep processing, high value-added products and technology transfer as priorities.

Transport and Logistics

Tokayev called transport and logistics one of the strategic directions of cooperation between the two countries. He said Kazakhstan's geographic position must be combined with modern transport and logistics infrastructure. Work is underway on the Belt and Road Initiative, the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, new railway lines, dry ports, logistics terminals and border infrastructure modernization. Tokayev recently ordered the start of construction of the Aral–Caspian mainline.