Kazakhstan and China forge stronger ties The “golden period” of cooperation

The past February 2025 has become quite significant in terms of the further development of relations between China and Kazakhstan. Although this is not unexpected, as in 2024, the volume of bilateral trade between Astana and Beijing exceeded 40 billion dollars, showing a nearly 9% growth compared to 2023. Additionally, Chinese investments in Kazakhstan's economy have noticeably increased, with 45 joint projects worth 14.5 billion dollars as evidence. In November 2024 alone, the two sides signed agreements worth 2.5 billion dollars.

As for February 2025, the beginning of activity in bilateral understanding was marked by the signing of a cooperation agreement during the Digital Almaty international forum (February 5). The agreement was made between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry, the leading Chinese company AgiBot, and several Kazakh universities to promote robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in the country. As noted by Kazakh sources, the memorandum, which took effect immediately, is aimed "at positioning Kazakhstan as a regional center for innovation in the fields of robotics and AI."

On February 11, Almaty opened its hospitable doors for an event organized by the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China, dedicated to the Lantern Festival, titled "A Warm Spring Festival Gathering: Celebrating the Chinese New Year Together." The event brought together high-ranking officials, diplomats, business community members, the Chinese diaspora, and students. In his speech, the head of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Almaty, Zhanibek Abdrashov, emphasized the importance of strengthening the "eternal and all-encompassing strategic partnership with China" and described the bilateral relations between the two countries as "a model of unwavering friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation." 

In turn, the Chinese Consul General, Jiang Wei, particularly highlighted the "political trust" that has developed between the countries. She also mentioned that while 2024 was the Year of Tourism for Kazakhstan in China, this year has become the Year of Tourism for China in Kazakhstan. According to her, this will "open new opportunities for cultural exchange and the development of the tourism sector." In this context, experts emphasize that the success of the "Tourism Year" will be supported by the visa-free regime introduced in 2023. Upcoming events include the organization of gastronomic festivals, art exhibitions, cultural forums, and more. It is worth noting that in 2024, Kazakhstan was visited by over half a million Chinese tourists, marking a 5% increase compared to the previous year.

On the same day, February 11, during the Kazakhstan-China Business Forum held in Astana, 8 agreements were signed in the areas of industrial development, logistics, and investments.

The following day, QazaqGaz and PetroChina agreed to increase gas supplies to China in the current year, although the exact volume of supplies was not disclosed. Additionally, the details of the gas export contract signed between the two countries in 2023, covering the period from 2023 to 2026, were also not made public.

On February 24, plans were announced to launch three joint logistics complexes in 2025, including the Almaty-based one (GTS-2).

On February 25, the leaders of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy and China Railway announced a 13% growth in transportation volumes between Kazakhstan and China compared to 2024, reaching 32 million tons. Moreover, the increase for January 2025 alone was an impressive 18%. The trend of rising freight traffic is clear, with a notable 33-fold increase in cargo volumes along the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route – TITR) last year. This highlights the growing transit interests of Azerbaijan. In this context, the development of Azerbaijani infrastructure along this route takes on particular significance, contributing rapidly to the increasing importance of the TITR. This, combined with the opening of a transport and logistics terminal in Xi'an, China, last year, plays a positive role in strengthening the positions of Astana and Baku as key links in the Eurasian transport network.

On February 26, during his inauguration speech, the Ambassador of China to Kazakhstan, Han Chunlin, spoke about the "deep-rooted friendship in the hearts of the people" between the two countries, emphasizing the "promising nature of mutual understanding in an unstable world."

On February 27, the parties discussed the implementation of a project to build a metallurgical plant with a capacity of 3 million tons of steel in the Jibek Joly Special Economic Zone in the Zhambyl region (construction is scheduled to begin in April of this year).

On the last day of February, it was reported that Kazakhstan’s enterprises are preparing for the upcoming cultural and tourism fair in Xinjiang, set to take place this spring.

Even this small snapshot of events in the Kazakhstan-China relationship confirms the statements made last year by President of China Xi Jinping and President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Chinese leader expressed confidence that China and Kazakhstan, as they move towards modernization, "will continuously strengthen political trust and jointly cultivate new growth points in various sectors." Meanwhile, the President of Kazakhstan, calling intergovernmental cooperation "a model of bilateral relations," announced that it had entered a new "golden period" of development.

Thus, the outlined perspectives for the development of bilateral relations by the leaders of both countries are being confirmed. China remains Kazakhstan's largest trading partner, and the economic foundation is seen as the key element in strengthening mutual understanding. Analysts are confident that this trend will continue in the near future.