Kazakhstan Opens Representative Office in Chinese SCO Zone

The site will soon appear in the Chinese city of Qingdao, located in the economically developed province of Shandong. Up to 600 square meters will be provided for Kazakhstan's representation in the pilot zone of regional trade and economic cooperation "China-SCO," Orda.kz reports.

The corresponding agreement was signed during the Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev's working visit to China. At a meeting with the province's governor, Zhou Naixiang, Shakkaliyev discussed strengthening trade and investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and Shandong.

Kazakhstan is our friendly neighbor. In the first quarter of this year, the volume of exports from Kazakhstan to Shandong reached 8 billion yuan, and 45 companies from the province have already invested in the economy of Kazakhstan. I am confident that your visit will give new impetus to strengthening our relations, Zhou Naixiang said.

Arman Shakkaliyev, in turn, noted that China is Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner.

The volume of trade between our countries has already reached 41 billion US dollars, and the leaders of the two countries set a goal to increase this figure to 80 billion dollars. Shandong is especially interesting to us as a dynamically developing region, added Arman Shakkaliyev.

During the visit, Kazakhstan's delegation visited several large companies, such as Shandong Hi-Speed ​​Group, Shandong Energy Group, G-WEIKE, Lingong Heavy Machinery, and Tsingtao. The delegation got acquainted with their production facilities and discussed possible areas of cooperation, including the mining and logistics industries.

Particular attention was paid to the export of agricultural products from Kazakhstan. 

With representatives of the Tsingtao BeerGroup company, the Kazakh guests discussed bringing the brewery back to Semey to promote its products to the markets of Central Asia and the EAEU.

Shandong is one of China's leading economically developed provinces, with a population of over 100 million people. The region's economy includes automobile, electronics, petrochemical, and metallurgy industries, as well as agriculture, specializing in cultivating wheat, corn, and vegetables.

Shandong also plays a vital role in China's transportation system, thanks to its well-developed infrastructure, including the ports of Qingdao and Yantai, which are active in international trade.

Several documents were signed at the SCO summit on July 4, 2024, including the Astana Declaration. In addition, the city of Qingdao received the status of the cultural and tourist capital of the SCO for 2024-2025.

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya