Expert Discusses Digital Cooperation Between Kazakhstan and China Ahead of Regional Summit

Aidar Kurmashev, head of the Asian Studies Department at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KISI) under the President of Kazakhstan, outlined the potential benefits and risks of digital cooperation between Kazakhstan and China, Orda.kz reports.

His comments come ahead of the China–Central Asia summit, which is scheduled to take place on June 17 with the participation of President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Among the key topics on the agenda is technological partnership.

China is one of the few players ready to offer turnkey solutions from data centers to production chains. Kazakhstan, in turn, is interested in the rapid development of infrastructure. Here, both parties act pragmatically: one offers technologies, the other – a market and a platform for pilot projects. The visit of the Kazakh delegation to Huawei research centers in China showed that interest is no longer limited to the purchase of equipment. We are talking about the possibility of localization and joint development. But the question is open: how deep will this cooperation be and will it lead to technological dependence?
Aidar Kurmashev asks. 

He notes that the issue should draw the attention of domestic digital sector stakeholders and the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry. According to Kurmashev, many countries are now reassessing their partnerships with major Chinese tech companies.

He also emphasizes the importance of human capital in ensuring the successful adoption of new technologies.

Currently, the human resources potential in the IT, telecommunications and artificial intelligence sectors in Kazakhstan is limited. Without investment in education and the scientific base, any partnership will remain superficial,
 warns the expert.

Kurmashev adds that in pursuing rapid infrastructure growth, Kazakhstan must avoid falling into a dependency trap.

Who controls the data, how are cyber risks regulated, what liability mechanisms are in place — it is important for Kazakhstan to define the framework of interaction in advance so that the digital infrastructure does not become a 'black box' controlled from the outside. In this sense, institutional maturity and legal transparency are needed no less than technologies,
 he emphasizes.

At the same time, Kurmashev acknowledges that a digital partnership with China offers Kazakhstan a range of opportunities.

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya