ASTANA – Kazakhstan and China signed a series of landmark agreements in various fields on June 16 ahead of the second China-Central Asia Summit on June 17 in Astana.
Kazakhstan gains access to China’s largest green technology bank. Photo credit: gov.kz
One of them is a strategic cooperation agreement between the International Green Technologies and Investment Projects Center (IGTIPC) and the Shanghai Science and Technology Exchange Center (SSTEC). It is expected to give Kazakhstan direct access to one of Asia’s largest green technology platforms, the Green Technology Bank, reported the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.
Kazakhstan’s enterprises, research centers, and startups will be able to use developments from China’s database, including innovations in renewable energy, water resources, waste recycling, and agroecology.
SSTEC will provide technological and expert support, help evaluate and adapt 20 priority green projects in Kazakhstan, and co-organize annual roadshows, forums, and business missions.
In the energy sector, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met with Li Wei, the chairman of Shandong Energy Group, to discuss the company’s joint project with QazaqGaz to build a coal gasification plant in the Karagandy Region.
The plant is expected to produce two billion cubic meters of gas annually, create 1,500 permanent jobs, and boost the country’s technological and export capacity.
Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar also met with Chen Huaiyu, chairman of the Export-Import Bank of China, to review the bank’s continued support in financing major infrastructure, transport and logistics projects.
Another key agreement was signed between Samruk Energy and China International Water and Electric Corporation (CIWEC) for the construction of a pumped storage power plant (PSPP) in the Almaty Region. The project is critical for balancing Kazakhstan’s renewable energy output with stable generation capacity.
A total of 58 agreements worth nearly $25 billion were signed during the second China-Central Asia Industrial and Investment Cooperation Forum. Among them are large-scale initiatives in the agricultural sector: a deep corn processing plant will be built in the Zhambyl Region, while construction of a high-tech wheat processing facility is set to begin this month in the Akmola Region.
Kazakhstan also signed a green hydrogen production agreement with the Chinese company Seraphim.
Sklyar emphasized Kazakhstan’s ambition to become one of the top ten global suppliers of deep grain processing products over the next ten years and to expand food exports to China.
