Trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China reached $35.4bn in January–September 2025, marking a 7.4% increase year-on-year. Kazakhstan’s exports to China rose by 9.9% to $13.5bn, while imports from China grew by 6.9% to $21.9bn.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan, Serik Zhumangarin, recently met in Astana with Liu Guozhong, Vice Premier of China’s State Council, to review progress on bilateral agreements reached during talks between the two countries’ leaders earlier this summer in Astana and Tianjin.
A key focus of the meeting was boosting agricultural trade.
“The Chinese market is of great interest for Kazakh grain exports. Over the past two years, grain exports to China have increased more than fivefold, reaching 1.4mn tons. To achieve our goal of supplying 2mn tons, additional measures are needed,” Zhumangarin said.
He emphasized the need to expand the throughput capacity of border grain reception points, noting that some Chinese restrictions continue to slow logistics.
The discussion also covered expanding exports of crop and livestock products. Currently, protocols exist for 34 types of Kazakh agricultural and livestock products in China, with 2,865 Kazakh enterprises registered as authorized exporters. Kazakhstan has submitted applications to export melons and cotton seeds, and the parties proposed beginning the process to agree on phytosanitary requirements for new products.
Special attention was given to increasing exports of livestock and processed products, including chilled lamb and beef, meat by-products, and powdered mare’s milk. The meeting also addressed lifting restrictions on chilled meat exports from northwestern and central Kazakhstan following veterinary inspections.
Vice Premier Liu Guozhong expressed China’s readiness to continue joint efforts to implement high-level agreements and strengthen coordination between relevant agencies to support agricultural trade between the two countries.
