Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov together with the heads of delegations of the participating countries of the 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai familiarized with the national pavilions presented there.

Within the framework of the national pavilion Kazakhstan will present to a wide range of visitors its investment, trade and industrial opportunities through companies and projects in the spheres of agriculture, tourism, logistics, exports and innovations. 

The guests of honor, including heads of government from Australia, China, Cuba and Serbia, were introduced to the republic's export potential in grain, oil and fat and other food products, promising investment projects, a network of railway routes and key tourist attractions. 

"Today, 21 protocols on the export of Kazakh agricultural and food products have been signed between our country and the PRC, which allowed to significantly increase the supply of agro-industrial complex goods to China. At the same time, Kazakhstan can expand the volume of exports of environmentally friendly agricultural products to the Chinese market. The export potential for vegetable oils and meal alone is $300 million," Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev said during the presentation of the national pavilion.

Kazakhstani producers of livestock products, particularly beef, mutton and poultry meat, have great opportunities, he said.

Trade logistics is also successfully developing between Kazakhstan and China. Today, a route network has been created, which covers railroads, roads and aviation. For example, the transit road corridor "Western Europe - Western China" allows to deliver cargoes to Europe in 10-12 days.

Kazakhstan is currently making serious efforts to become a transportation and logistics hub of international importance. Since 2014, a logistics terminal, created jointly with Chinese partners, has been operating in the port of Lianyungangan. In May 2023, construction of a Kazakh terminal in the dry port of Xi'an began. 

In Kazakhstan in the next three years it is planned to build 1300 km of new railroad tracks, open the 3rd railway checkpoint on the border with China and build new dry ports "Bakhty" and "Kalzhat". That is, Kazakhstan is actively creating favorable conditions for the transportation of goods in the direction of Europe and the Middle East.

In addition, the heads of delegations were introduced to the activities of Kazakh Invest and Kazakh Export, the International Center for Cross-Border Cooperation "Khorgos", the International Financial Center "Astana", Astana Hub Technopark, etc. 

Within the framework of the commercial pavilion "From Agribusiness to Innovations", more than 30 Kazakhstani enterprises are participating in the exhibition, including producers of food, flour-milling, dairy and alcoholic products, confectionery and pasta products, honey, salt, combined additives for farm animals, etc. Among them are such companies as "Bayan Sulu", "Mareven Food Tien-Shan", "Mibeko", "Almaty Product", "Sultan Marketing", "Eurasia Invest", "Ust-Kamenogorsk Butter Plant", "DEP", "Bakhus" and others.

"Mareven Food Tien-Shan" produces more than 47 thousand tons of finished products per year, including instant noodles, pasta, mashed potatoes, seasonings, drinks and snacks. 

Domestic food products are popular both domestically and in Central Asia as a whole, company spokesman Miras Kilybayev said. At the same time, the Chinese market is of strategic interest to the company.

"We are pleased to take part in such a large-scale event. We have all the resources to successfully develop trade relations with China: a short logistical shoulder, a decent range of products of the highest quality and a willingness to invest in infrastructure," he said.

"Eurasia Invest" presents its products - camel and mare milk powder - at the exhibition for the sixth consecutive year. Meruert Rakhimberdiyeva, the company's representative, noted that thanks to the Expo, the company has found permanent partners in China. 

"Camel milk is quite successfully sold in China. Chinese consumers have high requirements to the quality of products. German drying technology allows us to preserve all the useful properties of milk and ensure the quality of the product," she said.

During the visit to Kazakhstan commercial stand the heads of delegations familiarized in detail with products and offers of domestic enterprises.

It should be noted that over the past 5 years, 133 companies from Kazakhstan participated in the China International Import Expo, thanks to which favorable export contracts worth more than $260 million were concluded. 

For reference: China International Import Expo is held annually from November 5 to 10 on the initiative of President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping. The main goals of the exhibition are to intensify trade, economic and investment cooperation, as well as to open the Chinese market for foreign goods and services. Experts call it a kind of "window" to China. This year, 69 countries and 3,000 companies are represented at the exhibition.

#Alikhan Smailov #The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan #Agroindustrial complex #Trade and economic cooperation