The Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliyev and Jiangsu SOHO Holdings Group Co. Ltd. from Jiangsu Province in east China have agreed on the establishment of a multifunctional center in the Kazakh capital, Astana, the Ministry of Trade and Integration reported.
The new center will facilitate the development of Kazakh-Chinese trade and business cooperation. It will showcase Chinese and Kazakh goods, host business negotiations, register trade transactions, and provide consulting services.
The center will also include a trade pavilion, a cultural center, as well as an office of Jiangsu SOHO Holdings Group Co. Ltd.
In May 2025, the center plans to host an export-import exhibition of Jiangsu Province.
Minister Shakkaliyev pledged Kazakhstan’s support for the project: “The implementation of this project will be a significant step in strengthening trade and economic ties between Kazakhstan and Jiangsu Province. China is a strategically important trading partner of Kazakhstan. … Today, we are witnessing the dynamic development of cooperation with Jiangsu Province. During 11 months of 2024, trade turnover [with the province] doubled and reached $2.66 billion, with Kazakhstan’s exports increasing 3.4-fold to $1.49 billion.”
In January-November 2024, the total volume of trade between Kazakhstan and China amounted to $27.1 billion.