Akim Responds to Concerns Over Chinese Companies, Land Use and Foreign Labor

Residents of Almaty Region are increasingly demanding answers from authorities about why the number of Chinese citizens and foreign workers in the area continues to grow. Akim Marat Sultangaziyev was asked directly: how many companies operate with Chinese capital, whether they receive land, and how the government monitors illegal workers, Orda.kz reports.

Sultangaziyev acknowledged that violations of migration laws are indeed being detected in the region.

According to him, such cases sometimes come to light only after workplace accidents, fires, or injuries, when it turns out that employees are working without permits. He said migration police and law enforcement agencies conduct regular inspections, though there are also enterprises where all documents are in order and no complaints arise.

There needs to be more control and some form of digital tracking at the point of entry. We see when a person enters as a tourist under the visa-free regime, and can track the date of departure. It’s possible some take advantage of this. It harms the regional economy and puts the workers themselves at risk when they work without permits. Businesses need to be better informed,

 he said.

He added that the region has proposed digitizing the registration system for foreign workers so that insurance and registration are processed automatically.

There are roughly 250 companies in the region operating with Chinese or joint capital. Only one agricultural company has received land — a 1,500-hectare plot for a fodder-crop project with drip-irrigation systems. 

At the point of entry, there needs to be more control and some form of digital tracking.

He explained that the remaining projects involve commercial facilities and industrial sites that do not include agricultural land transfers.

Sultangaziyev also noted that the Kairat industrial zone hosts companies from several countries, including China.

Decisions on land allocation, he said, are made only after assessing investment volume, job creation, and the real economic benefit for the region.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov