Kazakh PM participates in opening of VII International Import Expo in Shanghai
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov participated in the opening ceremony of the VII China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The goal of the annual event is to strengthen economic integration at the international level, Kazinform News Agency reports citing the press service of the Kazakh Government.
The ceremony was attended by Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang, prime ministers of Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Serbia.
In 2023, Kazakhstan accounted for more than half of China’s trade with Central Asia.
Olzhas Bektenov underscored the importance of trade, e-commerce, transport and logistics as well as AI implementation.
He reminded of the plans to create the Silk Road E-Commerce area. Kazakhstani pavilions are already operating on the Alibaba and JD platforms. Another pavilion will soon be opened on Douyin, as well as bonding warehouses and logistics infrastructure will be built.
More than 80% ground transportations from China to Europe run through the territory of Kazakhstan. Western Europe-Western China project is being implemented, a logistics center is under construction in Lianyungang Port, a terminal in Xi’an and a new checkpoint are being built to improve transport corridors and ensure trade turnover, the Kazakh Prime Minister said.
“Kazakhstan is ranked 24th in the UN Global e-Government Development Index and 6th in the GovTech Maturity Index. The experience with the AI may become a driving force of economic progress," Bektenov noted.
Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Qiang and heads of delegations of the participating countries familiarized themselves with the products showcased at the National Pavilion of Kazakhstan “New Era, Common Future." Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev as well as the representatives of JSC National Informaiton Technologies, Kazakh Invest, AIFC, QazTrade, and Kaspi.kz made a presentation of Kazakhstan’s achievements including in the development of electronic and financial services, transboundary trade, and attraction of investments.
The startups of Kazakhstani developers, such as Squares (a service that allows to quickly find and book a location anywhere in the world), Alaqan AI (a new solution in biometric identification based on palm vein patterns), Cerebra AI (AI-based diagnostic app to identify insult etc.) were also presented at the event.
An exhibition of around 50 home-produced goods – meat, dairy, fat-and-oil products, grain products, confectionery, juice and beverages, honey, textile, and many others – was organized in the commercial pavilion of Kazakhstan, on an area of 260 square meters. A live streaming through Tik Tok was launched which enabled both the visitors and viewers around the world to buy the products online. In the first hours of the exhibition alone, $22,000-worth Kazakhstani products were sold online.
This year, more than 80% of the exhibition participants are the representatives of small and medium businesses. Over 300,000 Chinese professional buyers visit the international exhibition annually, which creates good conditions for ramping up exports to China.
