Kazakh manufacturers presented their products at the 110th exhibition of beverages and products in Chengdu, Sichuan province. The delegation of more than a hundred entrepreneurs and 40 companies was headed by the Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliev.
The visit to Sichuan province was aimed at finding new markets for Kazakh producers, presenting their export potential, signing agreements and attracting investments.
During the working trip, Minister Arman Shakkaliev met with managers of the three largest holdings in China implementing projects within the framework of the One Belt – One Road initiative. The head of the Ministry of Trade held negotiations with the management of Jiangsu SOHO Holdings Group Co., Ltd. (SOHO) is a large enterprise group of more than 380 enterprises, one of which coordinates the operation of the Jiangsu-Central Europe Railway, ensuring the continuity of 24 railway lines covering 26 countries in Europe and Asia.
Arman Shakkaliev also visited China Co-op. This is the Sichuan Provincial Cooperative Supply and Marketing System, which includes 180 regional associations at the district level and 3930 base associations. China Co-op is an organization that serves as a bridge between the government and farmers and aims to develop agriculture.
“China Co-op is an exemplary example of a cooperative supply and distribution system. It lies in the fact that we could use the experience, capabilities of China Co-op and agricultural technologies in a specific region of Kazakhstan, where the grown agricultural products would meet all quality requirements. Your cooperative organization system would be a good opportunity to promote Kazakh products to the Chinese consumer. There is also the prospect of export at the regional level, from Russia to the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan. From our ministry, we will provide maximum support and are ready to consider options for cooperation,” Arman Shakkaliev said during the meeting.
The Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan discussed issues of logistics and investment in the development of river ports of Kazakhstan with the large state company Sichuan Port and Shipping Investment Group Co., LTD. (SPSI), which operates more than 119 businesses. SPSI plays a key role in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative in Sichuan Province, forming a global logistics and trade platform. During the meeting, the company expressed its readiness to invest in Kazakh projects to accelerate its entry into Central Asia.
“In 2023, the volume of freight turnover by rail between our countries increased and reached a historical maximum and amounted to 28.3 million tons. According to our analysis, Sichuan imports more than $41 billion today. Among them there are goods that can be purchased in Kazakhstan. You already have a contract with some companies. But we can give this work a new impetus through our interaction with Qaztrade JSC, which consolidates all Kazakh exporters. Together with Qaztrade, you will be able to cultivate suppliers for years to come. For you, this will become a systematic work with guaranteed supplies in large volumes. In addition, our representative will be permanently located in Sichuan province. This will help to quickly respond to requests and specific tasks that we will set when mutually organizing our cooperation. Your experience in transport and logistics with supply chains is also very useful to us. It is especially interesting to study the experience of managing port infrastructure, namely river infrastructure. Today, a large water area is being formed in Kazakhstan – the Irtysh basin. This river system connects Russia, Kazakhstan and China. Your investments in this river infrastructure would allow opening an additional supply route from Kazakhstan to the XUAR,” Arman Shakkaliev said during the meeting.
In turn, the Chinese side noted that the visit of the Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan to Sichuan Province serves as a big step in strengthening and developing economic and trade relations, and also expressed its readiness to consider all the proposals voiced.
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