ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov took part in the opening of the seventh China International Import Expo on Nov. 5 in Shanghai to expand trade and economic ties with foreign partners and introduce Kazakh products to global markets, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Kazakhstan’s pavilion at the seventh China International Import Expo. Photo credit: primeminister.kz
Bektenov emphasized the need for stronger international partnerships in barrier-free trade, e-commerce, transport and logistics, and AI integration. He highlighted the Silk Road E-Commerce pilot zone as a promising area for growth, noting Kazakhstan’s successful operation on the largest trading platforms such as Alibaba and JD.com.
Additionally, work is underway to open a pavilion on Douyin and develop bonded and warehouse infrastructure to streamline logistics. Premier of China’s State Council Li Qiang got acquainted with the products presented in Kazakhstan’s national pavilion, focused on digitization.
Olzhas Bektenov attends the national pavilion. Photo credit: primeminister.kz
This pavilion demonstrated Kazakh startups, including global booking service Squares, Alaqan AI biometric identification using palm vein patterns, and Cerebra AI diagnostic program for stroke detection. The commercial pavilion featured online sales for the first time, showcasing products from 50 Kazakh producers. These goods were sold online for nearly $22,000 in the first hours of the expo alone.
In January-September, bilateral trade volume between the countries reached $33 billion. Bektenov stated that Kazakhstan aims to increase trade volume and diversify its exports, focusing on 180 commodity items valued at $1.6 billion in metallurgy, petrochemicals, food, mechanical engineering, and construction sectors.
