As part of his working visit to the People's Republic of China (PRC), Almaty Mayor Yerbolat Dossayev held a meeting with Dai Hegen, Chairman of the Board of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), during which the parties discussed the prospects for possible cooperation in the field of transport infrastructure and the implementation of large-scale construction projects.

It should be noted that CRCC is the world's largest equipment manufacturer, one of the most powerful and large-scale international construction corporations. In 2024, CRCC Corporation took 43rd place in the Fortune Global-500 ranking. The company built two-thirds of the railways and three-fifths of the metro in the PRC. CRCC has a fleet of more than 700 cranes. These high-tech machines, which are prefabricated metal structures, allow for efficient and safe construction of subways and other underground structures.

The main division of CRCC is the 20th Bureau (China Railway 20th Bureau Group Co.). The 20th Bureau employs more than 16 thousand employees. Over the past 70 years, this organization has implemented thousands of large-scale infrastructure projects around the world. The 20th Bureau branch has been operating in Kazakhstan since 2015.

During the meeting, Yerbolat Dossayev reported that Almaty is the only city in Kazakhstan with a metro system with a length of 13.4 km and 11 stations. It is planned to expand the existing lines and build two metro lines in the western and eastern directions.

“The implementation of the project for the construction of metro lines in the shortest possible time is one of the important priorities for Almaty. In this regard, when forming a list of potential partners in the construction sector, we first of all studied the experience and capabilities of Chinese companies, including the CRCC Corporation, which provides turnkey delivery of any projects and provides confidence in high-quality implementation. This will make a significant contribution to further strengthening trade and economic ties between the two countries,” Yerbolat Dossayev noted.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of CRCC Dai Hegen expressed interest in cooperation, noting that CRCC is implementing a number of large-scale infrastructure projects in Kazakhstan worth a total of about 650 million US dollars.

“CRCC has a leading position in China and is always open to cooperation. Today, several Chinese companies plan to participate in the implementation of the project in Almaty, and we intend to compete on equal terms. "We hope that thanks to our rich experience, we will successfully implement projects in Almaty," said Dai Hegen.

It should be noted that the issue of building a metro in Almaty is currently under discussion. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue the dialogue and further fruitful cooperation.