At a government meeting, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov discussed the development of five cross-border hubs with Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev. The main focus is on the Khorgos Hub for cooperation with China, the Caspian Hub on the trans-Caspian route, the Central Asia hub on the border with Uzbekistan, and the industrial trade and logistics complex near the border with Kyrgyzstan.
The Minister reported that railway and road routes have already been built to the hub territories, and the creation of container hubs in the ports of Aktau and Kuryk, multimodal air hubs in Astana, Almaty, Shymkent and Aktobe is being worked out. An Operational Working Group led by Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin has been created to implement the projects.
The Prime Minister stressed the need to accelerate work on attracting investors and developing infrastructure. It is expected that the launch of all hubs will increase cargo transportation volumes, boost industrial production, tax revenues and create new jobs. For example, the container hub in the port of Aktau will increase cargo handling to 300 thousand containers per year, and “Central Asia” on the border with Uzbekistan will increase the capacity of railways by 20 million tons per year.
Bektenov instructed ministries and akimats to speed up the creation of special economic zones, provide hubs with basic infrastructure and attract foreign investors. Particular attention is paid to the construction of a substation in the Kordai district to supply energy to the industrial complex. The Ministry of Trade was instructed to coordinate the implementation of projects and fill the hubs with promising initiatives.