Kazakhstan secures venue in China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area
Kazakhstan is to be offered a free-of-charge site of up to 600 sq.m. in the pilot zone of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area (SCODA) in Qingdao, Shandong province, Kazinform News Agency cites the Kazakh Trade and Integration Ministry.
Such a decision came following the working visit of Kazakh Trade and Integration Minister Arman Shakkaliyev to China, during which he met governor of Shandong province Zhou Naixiang to discuss greater trade and investment cooperation between Kazakhstan and China.
Shandong is among leading economically developed provinces of China with a population of over 100 million people. The province’s economy is orientated towards automobile, electronics, petrochemical and metallurgical industries as well as agriculture, focusing on growing wheat, corn and vegetable.
Shandong province governor Zhou Naixiang expressed the readiness to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is our friendly neighbor. In the first quarter of this year, Kazakhstan’s exports to Qingdao reached 8 billion yuan. The province’s 45 companies already invested in the Kazakh economy, said the governor.
In turn, Shakkaliyev thanked for the warm welcome and noted that China is a major trade partner of Kazakhstan.
The trade turnover between our countries hit 41 billion US dollars, and the task is set by the leaders of the two nations to increase this figure to up to 80 billion US dollars. Shandong is of especial interest to sue as a dynamically developing region, said the Kazakh minister.
During the working visit, the Kazakh delegation visited a number of the province’s major companies such as Shandong Hi-Speed Group, Shandong Energy Group, G-WEIKE, Lingong Heavy Machinery and Tsingtao. The promising areas of cooperation, including mining and logistics sectors, were discussed.
Special attention was paid to the export of agricultural products from Kazakhstan.
While meeting Yu Haitian, mayor of Jinan, the high-speed rail route and prospects for cooperation in industry, green energy, cultural and education exchange were discussed.
