First quarter of 2026: trade turnover between China and Kazakhstan reached $13.2 billion, an increase of 46.6% compared to the same period last year; Dual hub model becomes the key driver
2026-04-02
In the first quarter of 2026, bilateral trade between China and Kazakhstan reached US$13.2 billion, an increase of 46.6% year on year. The main driving force is logistics interconnectedness. China and Kazakhstan have made a leap from the point-to-point model to the hub-to-hub model: connecting the Xi'an-Almaty hubs has reduced transportation time from 7 to 5 days, reducing enterprise costs by 10.3%. Kazakhstan is promoting the development of five key hubs - Khorgos, the port of Aktau on the Caspian Sea, the Western Europe - Western China corridor and others; over five years, the volume of transportation through the Caspian Sea increased from 800 thousand to 4.5 million tons. In the first quarter of 2026, rail transit amounted to 9 million tons, container transportation increased by 6%; The first stage of the Aktau port will be put into operation in June, increasing the transshipment capacity of sea transit. Xi'an Customs and the Kazakh side are implementing a "1+3" cooperation model, 90% of cargo is released directly upon arrival.
