At a meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zumanjalin shook hands with Karl G ü nter Papenburg, the head of German industrial holding company GP G ü nter Papenburg AG. This scene not only marks the substantive negotiation of cooperation between the two countries in the copper industry, but also reflects Kazakhstan's urgent desire to transform its abundant underground copper ore into high value-added products such as wires and foils. As the 11th largest copper reserve country in the world, Kazakhstan mines approximately 170 million tons of copper annually, but its copper processing industry chain is still dominated by primary product exports, with high value-added products accounting for less than 5%. Nowadays, the technology and capital of German enterprises may open the door to industrial upgrading.

Abundant resources

Kazakhstan has about 130 copper deposits, accounting for 4% of the world's annual mining output. However, the copper processing industry chain in the country is not yet complete. After processing 750000 to 800000 tons of copper into concentrate each year, only 470000 tons are used to produce cathode copper. More than 97% of the products are exported in the form of ore or primary form, resulting in a long-term low industrial added value. Experts point out that if the modernization and advanced processing of the copper industry are promoted, its gross added value can be increased by twenty times compared to the current level. This has become the core task of Kazakhstan's new economic growth model, and has also given rise to an urgent need for international technology and funding.

Bi directional empowerment

As an industrial group with over 160 years of history, GP G ü nter Papenburg AG in Germany covers raw material extraction, logistics, and large-scale engineering construction. The group has participated in the Astana to Bolovoye highway project in Kazakhstan and is familiar with the local market environment. In this cooperation, the German side has shown a dual interest: on the one hand, to study the feasibility of importing copper concentrate from Kazakhstan, and on the other hand, to explore the construction of advanced copper processing facilities in the local area. For Kazakhstan, the German side can not only provide technology and experience, but also help it break through the bottleneck of high value-added product production and achieve the transformation from resource export to technology driven.keywords:Infrastructure News,Engineering infrastructure

Collaboration Promotion

Both parties have initiated the design of a cooperation model with the support of Kazakhstan's Baitrek Holdings and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Germany. This cooperation not only echoes Kazakhstan's policy orientation of attracting foreign investment and prioritizing the development of manufacturing, but also provides a strategic pivot for German companies to expand into the Central Asian market. By combining Kazakhstan's copper resources with Germany's processing technology, the project is expected to enhance the added value of Kazakhstan's copper industry and deepen bilateral financial ties between Germany and Kazakhstan. Against the backdrop of regional cooperation such as the construction of the China Central Asia Economic Corridor, this cooperation has become a vivid example of cross regional industrial synergy, demonstrating the enormous potential for complementary development between resource rich and industrialized countries.Editor/Yang Meiling