NUR-SULTAN – A new freight train route connecting China’s eastern province of Jiangsu with Central Asian countries began operating on Aug. 13, reported the Chinese Xinhua news agency.
The first cargo train sets off on Aug. 13. from China to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan. Photo credit: english.news.cn
The first cargo train departed from Wuxi, a city in southern Jiangsu province in East China. The shipment via rail track is projected to take nearly 20 days.
More than 1,000 goods, including household appliances and auto parts with a total cost of $4.4 million, are heading to Uzbekistan through the territory of Kazakhstan.
The train will pass through the Lianyungang seaport, where the Kazakhstan logistics terminal has been operating since 2014.
The city of Wuxi is one of the key centers of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which encompasses nine provinces (Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou) and two municipalities (Shanghai and Chongqing). In 2021, the city’s trade turnover exceeded $100 billion (exports – $65 billion, imports – $40 billion).
According to the Kazakh Economic Research Institute (ERI), the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China has reached a record-breaking $11 billion in the first half-year.
