Within the framework of the agreement on the establishment of twinning relations between the Zhetisu region of Kazakhstan and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, the first meeting of the coordination mechanism of the ICBC "Khorgos" was held on the Chinese side of the International Center for Cross-Border Cooperation, during which a memorandum was signed between the Akimat of the Zhetisu region and the People's Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China on the joint establishment of the cross-border tourist zone "Khorgos", - the press service of the akim of the Zhetisu region reports.
Recall that the document on the creation of a mechanism for coordinating the activities of ICBC Khorgos between the Zhetisu region and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China was signed a year earlier. The first meeting of the regional level, which is being held for the first time, was attended by official delegations from these regions of the two countries.
During the meeting, issues of further development of bilateral trade and economic cooperation were discussed.
The official representatives of the Zhetysu delegation dwelled in detail on the development of one of the points of economic growth – the Khorgos direction, located at the intersection of important directions from China to the CIS countries, Europe and Asia. In particular, the Nur Zholy checkpoint, the Khorgos – Eastern Gate Special economic zone and the Khorgos ICBC are of great importance. An industrial park with the participation of Chinese investors is currently planned to be built on the territory of the Khorgos – Eastern Gate SEZ, where the KTZE-Khorgos Gateway dry port project has been implemented. It is also planned to implement a joint Kazakh-German project on the construction of a cargo and passenger airport worth 250.0 billion tenge on the territory of the FEZ.
In addition, work is actively underway at the Nur Zholy checkpoint to increase its capacity. A 24-hour operation mode and an electronic queue system have been introduced. As a result, the capacity has been doubled, that is, from 800 to 1600 vehicles per day in both directions.
Work has also been carried out at ICBC Khorgos to automate baggage collection points and an X-ray inspection system. At the same time, the number of baggage collection points has been increased from 6 to 9, thereby increasing the flow of cargo by 40%. Due to this, if earlier the ICBC was visited by 2500 people per day, now the number of visitors reaches 6000-8000 people.
At the same time, according to Deputy akim of the region Asset Kanagatov, the improvement of the center's infrastructure is being gradually implemented. Thus, design and estimate documentation is being developed for the overhaul of intra-block roads and a sewage pumping station of the first stage. Work has also begun on the construction of a gas pipeline.
Speaking about the further improvement of economic ties between Kazakhstan and China, representatives of the delegation of the Zhetisu region raised issues such as the construction of a joint laboratory in the cooperation center for trade facilitation, joint work on law enforcement in the border area, bilateral exchange of information on the work of ICBC Khorgos.
In this regard, on behalf of the Chinese side, Chairman of the People's Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Erkin Tuniyaz expressed readiness to jointly consider proposals. Representatives of the Chinese delegation also made proposals to support the construction of the Khorgos ICBC infrastructure in Kazakhstan, expand cooperation in the field of cross-border e-commerce and other types of business, and also touched upon the development of cross-border tourism.
At the end of the meeting, stating that every effort will be made to effectively implement joint initiatives of the heads of the two states, the parties expressed confidence that this meeting contributes to the expansion of bilateral trade, economic, cultural, tourist, scientific and technical, as well as ties in the field of agriculture.
Following the results of the first meeting of the ICBC Khorgos coordination mechanism, the parties signed a memorandum on the joint establishment of the Khorgos cross-border tourist zone. Within the framework of the memorandum, the parties intend to cooperate in the promotion of tourism projects in the territory of the cooperation zone, determine the tasks of each party in the development of tourist destinations, as well as organize exhibitions, tourist festivals, forums, event events to attract tourists.
Then, at the cooperation center, the Zhetysu official delegation visited the car exhibition center. This center sells cars manufactured in China and various necessary auto parts. The Chinese side noted that a service center for the maintenance of such vehicles can be opened in the Zhetisu region, if necessary.
Next, the delegation got acquainted with the construction of a quarantine laboratory for the inspection of agricultural products. As it became known, this facility will contribute to the functioning of a common technical standard between the two countries, that is, the verification and export of Kazakh agricultural products. Based on the principle of "one product, one certificate", the certificate issued by this laboratory will be valid for both countries. This facility will be put into operation in 2025.
The place where the second special crossing will be built on the territory of the cooperation center has also been designated. This transition, which will be built by the Chinese side, will have a positive impact on increasing trade turnover between the two countries.
In general, due to the improvement of infrastructure in the ICBC "Khorgos", the total volume of investments on the Kazakh side of the center increased by 87% compared to 2023 and amounted to 256 billion tenge. The number of investors increased from 19 to 31, and the number of ongoing projects increased from 26 to 41. Currently, 6 projects with a total cost of 13.3 billion tenge have been fully commissioned, 150 jobs have been created. By the end of this year, it is planned to launch a shopping center with an area of about 8 thousand square meters in the amount of 3 billion tenge. In addition, by 2027, it is planned to implement 34 more projects worth 240 billion tenge with the creation of over 2 thousand jobs.
Recall that since the resumption of the center's work, that is, from April last year, and until November of this year, 2.4 million people visited ICBC Khorgos, 36.7 thousand tons of cargo were transported, customs duties in the amount of 217.4 million tenge were paid.
The press service of the akim of the Zhetisu region

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/zhetysu-oblysy/press/news/details/891375