Will China Take Over Kazakhstan's Cargo Transportation Market: Minister of Transport Comments

The Majilis ratified an agreement on international road transport with China. Domestic transport companies fear that the Chinese will dominate Kazakhstan's cargo transportation market, as their prices are lower and their fleet is newer, reports Orda.kz.

The agreement will allow cargo carriers to increase the geography of cargo transportation between China and Kazakhstan. Cargo carriers fear that they will be forced out of their own market. The minister, meanwhile, considers the agreement a victory.

In no way (I’m concerned. - Ed.). This is a misrepresentation of the information provided. I consider the fact that we signed such an agreement with China to be an absolute victory for Kazakhstan. Only Kazakhstani carriers have this right. China has never allowed any country into its market. Never. Kazakhstan is the first country that has the right to go deep into China. (We get - Ed.) to the ports, be it Qingdao or Shanghai, and pick up the cargo faster, said Marat Karabayev.

He assured that Kazakhstan allows a limited number of Chinese vehicles into its territory.

The entry of Chinese and Kazakhstani cars into each other’s territory is regulated by foreign permission forms. We give Chinese vehicles as much as they can to come to us. China gives us how many of our vehicles can go there. This is only on a parity basis. It can never be that any country has more. Last year, there were 150 thousand forms - Kazakhstani carriers used them all. We visited the territory of the People's Republic of China 150 thousand times. Chinese vehicles - only 1,600. Do you see the difference? And this year, we will have 200 thousand vehicles, he added.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova