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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Almaty, January 21 (Xinhua) — The figures for trade turnover between China and the five Central Asian countries in 2025 conceal a significant process: the formation of a sustainable and long-term model of economic interaction between China and Central Asia, based not only on trade per se, but also on infrastructure, investment, industrial cooperation, and a high level of political consensus. This was stated by Serik Korzhumbayev, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Business Kazakhstan," in an opinion piece published on Wednesday.
According to data published earlier this year by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China, trade turnover between China and Central Asian countries will exceed $100 billion for the first time in history in 2025, reaching $106.3 billion. According to S. Korzhumbayev, surpassing the $100 billion mark is a significant milestone in itself. However, the quality of this trade is crucial.
According to official statistics, China's exports to Central Asian countries reached $71.2 billion in 2025. The so-called three new categories—electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar panels—occupied a prominent place. According to the editor-in-chief of a Kazakh newspaper, this essentially means Central Asia is gradually integrating into modern production and technological chains, rather than maintaining a peripheral role as a raw materials supplier.
China's imports from the region totaled $35.1 billion, with a significant expansion in the range of non-resource goods, including chemical and metallurgical products and highly processed agricultural goods. "This is a particularly important signal for the economies of Central Asia—trade with China is increasingly contributing to diversification and domestic development," emphasized S. Korzhumbayev.
According to him, the growth in trade turnover would not have been possible without the parallel development of infrastructure and new trade formats. In 2025, China and Central Asian countries actively promoted cross-border e-commerce, modernization of warehouse and transport logistics, cross-border settlement and payment systems, and institutional trade facilitation platforms.
“Taken together, these elements form the practical content of the Belt and Road Initiative, transforming it into a holistic economic ecosystem where trade, investment, and technology mutually reinforce each other,” the article notes.
The author believes that the growth of trade and economic ties between China and Central Asia is particularly significant given the global turbulence, trade conflicts, and weakening of traditional multilateral mechanisms. Against this backdrop, the regional cooperation model appears to be a space for stability and prudent pragmatism.
For Kazakhstan, as S. Korzhumbayev added, this means an opportunity not only to increase foreign trade indicators, but also to consolidate its role as a key economic hub in Eurasia. For the entire region, this is a chance to integrate into global value chains on more favorable and sustainable terms.
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