Kazakhstan–China Trade Grows Amid Rising Imports, Falling Exports

Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China continues to grow, but mainly due to increased imports of Chinese goods into Kazakhstan, while Kazakh exports to China face significant challenges, Orda.kz reports.

According to the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan (AFK), China remains one of Kazakhstan’s key trading partners, accounting for more than 20% of total trade turnover. In the first half of 2025, bilateral trade rose by 5.9% to $14.9 billion.

However, the growth is uneven.

Imports of Chinese goods to Kazakhstan increased by 22.8% over the past six months, while exports of Kazakh products to China fell by nearly 10%. Lower prices for oil and metals, along with reduced demand in China, have particularly affected Kazakhstan’s metallurgical enterprises.

In the structure of exports to China over the first six months of 2025, the share of animal and plant products (plus $164 million) and vehicles (plus $160 million) increased, while the shares of mineral products (minus $599 million) and metals (minus $408 million) decreased, AFK analysts noted.

Meanwhile, China expanded its share of the Kazakh market to 22.6%. Over the same period, Chinese car sales in Kazakhstan grew by $1.2 billion, with additional increases in metals ($279 million) and chemical products ($231 million).

Demand for Chinese cars has been robust.

There has been a noticeable increase in the supply of food, furniture, construction materials and consumer goods, which reflects the growth of domestic demand and the expansion of the range of Chinese products on the Kazakhstani market. At the same time, the import of footwear and textiles has decreased, which may indicate partial substitution of these goods by other countries and/or growth of local production, the AFK review stated.

Analysts add that industries such as mining and manufacturing are increasingly using the yuan. While relatively cheap imports from China may help contain inflation, domestic factors remain the main drivers of rising prices.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny