News

At the Kazakhstan–China Investment Forum on 25 September, Beijing-based Polyking described its Kazakhstan projects: the EuraTrade Link platform, launched in June and already used for cars at the Khorgos and Nur Zholy crossings, and an industrial park planned in the Khorgos – Eastern Gate SEZ. The company says waiting times for car clearance fell from 20 to 30 days to one. That is the company's own claim, and the piece cites neither customs nor any third party, so it should be read with caution.

In June in Urumqi, Deputy Prime Minister and National Economy Minister Serik Zhumangarin met the heads of China's Pingmei Shenma and Xinjiang Zhongxinjian Animal Husbandry. Pingmei Shenma is weighing a coal-chemicals complex of up to USD 1.5 billion in Kazakhstan, with Abai Region offered as the site. Zhongxinjian already grows feed corn in the Khorgos SEZ and plans a corn-processing park of 1 million tonnes a year. Only a memorandum has been signed and a roadmap agreed, there is no final investment decision, and USD 1.5 billion is the ceiling the Chinese side is considering.

At the Kazakhstan–China Investment Forum in Almaty on 25 September, Samruk-Energy signed an agreement with China Energy Overseas Investment Company Limited and Sany Renewable to build wind farms in Zhetysu Region with a combined capacity of up to 1 GW, two plants of 500 MW each. Total cost and commissioning dates have not been disclosed. For Chinese renewable-energy firms and equipment suppliers it is a project worth following.

Kazakhstan Today reported on 25 September that NERO Group, together with China's UBTECH, could begin making educational robots as early as October in the Alatau Park of Innovative Technologies SEZ, at up to 50,000 kits a year, equipping about 30 Almaty schools by year-end. Localisation of service and humanoid robots begins only in the second quarter of 2027. For Chinese companies wanting to bring robotics and teaching equipment to Kazakhstan, it is a case where building has already started.

The head of Nero Group told The Astana Times on 25 September, at the forum in Almaty, that a localisation project with Shenzhen-based UBTech is estimated at nearly USD 440 million for its first stage and has already started in an SEZ, covering R&D, programming, production and new jobs. Educational robots are expected to go into production in October. The sum comes from the company head and had not appeared in official materials. Chinese equipment makers should watch how the register of domestic manufacturers counts local content.

At the Issuer Day on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange on 2 September, KazTransOil presented a preliminary plan to expand two sections of the Kazakhstan–China oil pipeline system, put at USD 327 million (about KZT 176.7 billion), to run in 2026–2030 and be financed mainly by borrowing. Kenkiyak–Atyrau would go from about 6 to 15 million tonnes a year, Kenkiyak–Kumkol from 10 to 20 million, with five new pumping stations. The estimate is preliminary and may change after design and feasibility work. Chinese energy contractors and equipment suppliers have reason to follow it.

On 2 October the AI Development Council held its third meeting at the Akorda, devoted to the deep digital transformation of industry. The President asked for a move from scattered digital projects to AI built into production as a whole, judged by measurable economic results, and set out a fast track from pilots to commercial use, common standards for industrial data and attention to domestic solutions. It is a statement of direction without sums or deadlines, so Chinese suppliers of AI technology and equipment to Kazakh industry will have to wait for concrete government measures.

On 2 October President Tokayev received Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures and 01.ai. According to the Akorda press service, the government has started a project to bring AI into secondary education. Lee set out the pilot for small schools: it has run in 10 schools since September 2026, with 60 planned for January 2027 and 500 for April 2027.

Guoyou Materials Group plans a multifunctional terminal at Kuryk Port in Mangystau. Kazakhstan's Prime Minister's Office says phase-one investment is about 470 billion tenge, with target capacity of up to 15 million tonnes a year and construction in 2026–2028; phase two is set for 2029–2031, with full commissioning around 2032 at about 25 million tonnes. The project was discussed at presidential level and sits inside Middle Corridor port expansion.

Representatives of Xi'an Free Trade Port Construction and Operation Co., Ltd. visited Kazakhstan and held talks at Kuryk Port, discussing the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), increasing container transit volumes, and prospects for long-term cooperation. Representatives of Kazakhstan Railways JSC attended.

Beijing Baojing Qihang (Polyking) introduced at the Kazakhstan-China Investment Forum that it is promoting a digital customs clearance solution connecting the two countries' customs systems to reduce vehicle customs clearance waiting times at the Khorgos and Nur Zholy ports from 20-30 days to about 1 day, with accompanying warehousing and road investments, offering direct reference value for Chinese automakers and cross-border logistics companies.

During the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum in Astana, Kazakhstan and the Chinese side signed three agreements to jointly establish three joint research centres in renewable energy, applied artificial intelligence, and digital data storage. The Kazakh Ministry of Energy did not disclose the investment amount, funding sources, or launch dates, nor did it specify the terms of technology transfer or intellectual property ownership.

The Kazakhstan–China Investment Forum was held in Almaty on 25 September 2026. 10 agreements were signed, and Tokayev proposed moving from individual projects to cooperation on industrial ecosystems.

The ninth Astana Finance Days, hosted by the Astana International Financial Centre, took place in Astana on 9–10 September 2026, with the Shanghai Stock Exchange among the participating institutions.

During Tokayev's stay in Shanghai on 16 July 2026, the two sides signed over 70 business agreements worth more than USD 15 billion, covering artificial intelligence, automotive, logistics and other sectors.

On 24 April 2026 the Minister of Labour and Social Protection signed an order amending the 2026 foreign labour quota, effective from 10 May.

Khorgos Gateway dry port handled more than 372,000 TEU in 2025, up 2% year on year; average handling time per container was reduced from 5 hours to 1 hour.

Government Resolution No. 336 of 14 May 2025 established SEZ "Korkyt Ata", covering 550 hectares, valid until the end of 2049.