A massive Kazakh-Chinese investment of 24 billion dollars is coming. It includes various projects, such as a logistics park in Astana, a border trade centre and agricultural processing facilities. But what catches the eye more than anything among those announcements is a planned logistics “superhub”.
The announcement of the “industrial logistics superhub” leaves much to the imagination. No investment sum is mentioned, because it is not included in the 24 billion dollars, which are all accounted for among other announced projects. What is known is that the Kazakh transport ministry and the Chinese company CAMC Engineering have signed an agreement to build such a hub.
CAMC Engineering is a state-owned company that has been involved in Belt & Road Initiative projects, including rail infrastructure. The Alatau Middle Corridor Group also joined the deal, a new private company founded on 13 January in Almaty.
Other projects
Alongside the mysterious superhub, capital city Astana will get a logistics park in the Technopolis special economic zone (SEZ). Even though the announcement does not make any mention of rail infrastructure, the SEZ will have rail connections.
Other announced investments, totalling 24 billion dollars, include energy and industry projects, telecommunications, agricultural and food processing facilities, education and real estate.