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August 29, 2025 to September 4, 2025
This week's top 10 stories from Kazakhstan, selected from our daily intelligence briefs.
1. Tokayev Concludes China Visit with Pledged $15B Investments and New Joint Projects
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev concluded an official visit to China during which Beijing and Astana announced a reported $15 billion in Chinese investments and a slate of new joint projects aimed at expanding industrial cooperation, infrastructure links and technology transfer. The trip also launched a “Trans‑Altai Dialogue” platform to institutionalize strategic discussions and long‑term collaboration, signaling Beijing’s elevated political and economic engagement with Kazakhstan.
For Kazakhstan, the commitments imply near‑term capital inflows, broader market access and potential enhancements to logistics corridors connecting Central Asia and China, supporting Tokayev’s dual goals of domestic modernization and partner diversification across energy, manufacturing and transport. The developments reinforce Astana’s balancing strategy to attract large‑scale Chinese investment while preserving broader geopolitical and economic options.
From daily brief: 2025-09-04
2. Tokayev Courts Chinese Majors for Energy, Transport, and Digital Projects During Beijing Meetings
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used meetings in Beijing to advance a broad slate of energy, transport and digital deals with major Chinese firms and financiers. Discussions with CNPC covered hydrocarbons and downstream projects including a Shymkent refinery modernization to 12 million tonnes per annum, gas‑chemicals expansion and a urea plant in Aktobe; Sany announced construction of a 1 GW wind farm and a wind‑components plant; and China Energy Engineering Group is weighing north–south grid upgrades, a data centre and waste‑to‑energy projects. The AIIB’s Kazakhstan portfolio now tops $2 billion across wind power, highways and healthcare, with Kazakhstan pitched as a regional hub for green and smart‑tech financing.
On digital and transport fronts, Huawei signed a strategic agreement with sovereign investor Samruk‑Kazyna on telecom innovation, server infrastructure and ICT/AI talent development, while CRRC deepened rail cooperation with locomotive deliveries and potential localization and service centres. Talks with CNNC broached the possibility of a second nuclear plant. Collectively, the package signals Kazakhstan’s push to simultaneously modernize energy infrastructure, expand decarbonization and digital capabilities, and attract Chinese capital and industrial localisation to support regional integration.
From daily brief: 2025-09-04
3. Beijing Meetings Elevate Sino-Kazakh Trade and Finance Ties with $27B Investment Cited
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev used the 8th Kazakh‑Chinese Business Council meeting to underline accelerating economic integration with China, citing $27 billion in cumulative Chinese investment and a record $44 billion in bilateral trade in 2023. He highlighted Kazakhstan’s project pipeline and investor protections—pointing to the Astana International Financial Centre’s 4,200 companies (including 850 Chinese firms) and the Development Bank of Kazakhstan’s first yuan‑denominated Dim Sum bond—while identifying priority sectors such as energy, nuclear cooperation, mining, agriculture, digitalization and AI.
Tokayev signalled political will to “further increase our trade significantly over the next five years,” promising top‑level oversight of project implementation to reassure investors. For international professionals, the message is clear: Kazakhstan is actively courting deeper Chinese capital and financial linkages, deploying institutional tools and sovereign support to de‑risk large strategic projects and accelerate sectoral cooperation.
From daily brief: 2025-09-03
4. Tokayev Pushes Security Hubs, Investment Office and Trans‑Altai Corridor at SCO Summit in China
At the June Tianjin SCO summit, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev advanced a pragmatic agenda linking security cooperation and regional infrastructure to deepen Eurasian integration. He proposed four specialized SCO centers to tackle terrorism, cyber risks, transnational crime and new forms of extremism, recommended creating an SCO investment project support office housed at the Astana International Financial Centre to institutionalize economic coordination, and offered Kazakhstan as host of an SCO Water Research Center to address Central Asia’s growing scarcity.
Tokayev also pushed transport integration, highlighting the Trans‑Caspian corridor and unveiling a “Trans‑Altai Dialogue” to harmonize transport, tariffs and standards among Kazakhstan, China, Russia and Mongolia, with inaugural talks planned for an SCO forum in Aktau in November. His informal meeting with Xi Jinping and signing of more than 20 cooperation agreements signal tighter Kazakh–Chinese strategic coordination and a simultaneous focus on securitized governance and practical connectivity projects that could accelerate trade flows across Eurasia.
From daily brief: 2025-09-03
5. CNOOC Enters Kazakhstan Upstream Through 50/50 “Zhylyoi” Venture With KazMunayGas
KazMunayGas (KMG) and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) have launched a 50/50 joint venture, Zhylyoi, to develop the Zhylyoi exploration block in Kazakhstan’s northeastern Caspian transit zone, marking CNOOC’s first investment in Kazakhstan. Under an existing exploration-and-production contract, CNOOC will fund a minimum $31.5 million exploration commitment and the partners have established Zhylyoi Operating LLP as the project operator; the planned work program focuses on baseline geological exploration tasks typical of early-stage hydrocarbons appraisal and implies a multi-year timeline before any development decision.
The deal formalizes a broader strategic cooperation framework between KMG and CNOOC to pursue upstream projects beyond their borders, diversifying foreign participation in Kazakhstan’s offshore-focused exploration and aligning with China’s outbound energy strategy. For international investors and regional stakeholders, the agreement signalizes increased Chinese upstream involvement in the Caspian and may accelerate technical cooperation and capital flows into Kazakhstan’s exploration portfolio.
From daily brief: 2025-09-02
6. Xi Holds One-on-One Meeting with Tokayev as SCO Leaders Gather in Tianjin
At the opening of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a one-on-one meeting with Kazakhstan President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev during a formal reception at the Meijiang Conference Center, one of only three individual bilateral meetings Xi granted among 22 heads of state present. The tightly staged photo session and selective private engagement underscore Beijing’s host role and signal elevated bilateral attention toward Astana as discussions begin on regional security, trade corridors and connectivity.
For Kazakhstan, the private Xi–Tokayev encounter points to potential acceleration of economic cooperation—particularly logistics integration via China’s ports and rail links—and closer coordination on energy and critical minerals, although participating sides did not disclose formal outcomes. The optics suggest Tokayev is a prioritized interlocutor for Beijing at this SCO gathering, with implications for deeper Kazakhstan–China alignment on infrastructure and resource policy.
From daily brief: 2025-09-01
7. Tokayev, Xi Reaffirm ‘All-Round, Permanent’ Partnership with Push on Trade, Logistics, AI and Energy
Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO summit, reaffirming an “all‑round and permanent strategic partnership” as both capitals seek to deepen economic and geopolitical ties. They pledged to build on a record USD 44 billion bilateral trade in 2023 by accelerating transport‑corridor and energy projects, expanding cooperation in digitalization and artificial intelligence, boosting agricultural links, and enhancing cultural exchange (including new Lu Ban Lab branches and a planned Kazakhstan cultural center in Beijing).
The talks signal coordinated approaches to regional supply‑chain realignment—notably support for Middle Corridor routes—and diplomatic alignment within the SCO under China’s chairmanship. Xi framed the relationship as resilient to external volatility, while Tokayev endorsed China’s SCO agenda-setting and commemorative diplomacy, underscoring growing Beijing–Nur‑Sultan convergence on multilateral and practical economic priorities.
From daily brief: 2025-08-31
8. Policy Rate Held at 16.5% as Inflation Risks Persist; Hike Considered with Tighter Reserve Rules Taking Effect
The National Bank of Kazakhstan held its policy (base) rate at 16.5% with a ±1 percentage-point corridor, citing revised inflation forecasts and persistent upside risks; the Monetary Policy Committee signalled it may raise the rate at upcoming meetings, with the next decision due 10 October. July annual inflation remained elevated at 11.8% as food and non-food prices rose while services inflation slowed; the Bank lifted its 2025 GDP growth projection to 5.5–6.5% and revised 2025 inflation to 11–12.5% (2026: 9.5–11.5%; 2027: 5.5–7.5%).
To rein in liquidity and reinforce disinflation, the Bank finalized tighter minimum reserve requirements effective 2 September. Governor Timur Suleimenov stressed the policy stance is “moderately tight” but not prohibitive and warned the economy is running above potential, risking an inflationary spiral—underscoring scope for further tightening amid external pressures from rising global food prices and elevated inflation in Russia.
From daily brief: 2025-08-30
9. Royal Visit Sets 500M Trade Target and Opens Path for Direct Flights, Uranium and AI Collaboration
King Abdullah II’s official visit to Astana advanced a pragmatic, results-oriented agenda to deepen Kazakhstan–Jordan ties, with both capitals reaffirming a target to raise bilateral trade to USD 500 million. Kazakhstan signalled readiness to export 60 product lines valued at about USD 250 million, while Royal Jordanian plans to launch a direct Amman–Almaty route next year to boost business travel and tourism.
Cooperation expanded beyond trade into energy, logistics and technology: KAZATOMPROM and Jordan’s JUMCO deepened uranium project collaboration; transport talks explored intermodal links using Aktau, Kuryk and Jordan’s Aqaba to connect Central Asia and the Middle East; and leaders highlighted healthcare, pharmaceuticals, halal industry, defense manufacturing and digital partnerships, including Astana Hub and plans for an International AI Center. Financial and legal incentives for investors were promoted by the AIFC, citing English-law courts and Islamic finance options.
From daily brief: 2025-08-29
10. Business Council Seals Over 70 Deals Exceeding $15 Billion with Chinese Partners
Kazakhstan’s presidential press service reported that the Kazakhstan–China Business Council finalized more than 70 commercial agreements totaling over $15 billion. The brief announcements did not list sectoral breakdowns or firm names, but such council outcomes typically cover energy, mining, transport, agribusiness and manufacturing, and align with bilateral priorities like logistics corridors, processing industries and green energy projects.
For international professionals, the scale underscores China’s continued position as a top trade and investment partner for Kazakhstan and signals a substantial pipeline of joint ventures likely to deepen supply‑chain integration and industrial capacity in the country. Foreign suppliers and service firms should expect heightened competition for procurement and infrastructure opportunities but may gain subcontracting or partnership openings by aligning with local‑content rules and Sino‑Kazakh project frameworks as these deals move toward implementation.
From daily brief: 2025-09-03
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