Within the framework of the working meeting of the Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Arman Shakkaliev with the Vice President of Jiangsu Province SOHO Holdings Group Co. Ding Hai discussed the initiative to create a multifunctional centre in the city of Astana. The project will become an important platform for the development of international trade and business, offering a wide range of services, including: demonstration of Chinese and Kazakhstani goods, conducting business negotiations and concluding contracts with international partners, services on registration of trade deals, providing consulting services, etc. The centre will be located in Astana.

The idea of opening the centre in Astana is based on the experience of the creation in 2024 of the trade centre ‘Central Asia - Jiangsu’ in the Chinese city of Nanjing. As noted by Minister Arman Shakkaliev, the trade centre in Nanjing is a unique platform where companies from Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, are located.

‘Today, Kazakhstani companies present their products on this platform. Moreover, they have got the opportunity to realise goods through streaming sales. Since the opening of the shopping centre, about 600 thousand yuan worth of products have been sold online on Douyin's e-commerce platform,’ the minister stressed.

Vice President of Jiangsu Province SOHO Holdings Group Co. Ding Hai specified that the new multifunctional centre will include a shopping pavilion, a cultural centre, and an office of Jiangsu SOHO Holdings Group Co. Ltd. In addition, an export-import exhibition of Jiangsu Province is planned to be held in Astana in May 2025, which will be part of the large-scale project.

Trade Minister Arman Shakkaliyev assured that Kazakhstan will provide comprehensive support at all stages of the project. The main partner in the development of the centre will be JSC ‘Centre for Development of Trade Policy “QazTrade”. The Minister also supported the initiative to hold the exhibition, offering the necessary platform for its organisation.

‘Implementation of this project will be a significant step to strengthen trade and economic ties between Kazakhstan and Jiangsu Province. China is a strategically important trading partner of Kazakhstan, occupying leading positions in terms of bilateral trade turnover. The head of state has set a task to bring mutual trade with China to $100 billion. Already today we observe dynamic development of cooperation with Jiangsu Province: for 11 months trade turnover has doubled, reaching $2.66 billion, and Kazakhstan's exports have increased 3.4 times, reaching $1.49 billion,’ Arman Shakkaliyev stressed.

As of January-November 2024, the volume of mutual trade between Kazakhstan and China totalled $27.1bn. Exports from Kazakhstan to China increased by 1.6%, reaching $13.5bn.