The camel bells on the ancient Silk Road have long disappeared, replaced by trains and trucks heading from Linyi, Shandong to Central Asia. Six months ago, Linyi Xinruifeng Textile, which was still worried about shipping, brought a batch of high-end hollowed out embroidered tablecloths that integrated Central Asian aesthetics to the exhibition booth in Almaty for the first time, and only sold for 50000 yuan on site. The head of the enterprise did not give up. He recorded the opinions of every customer who stopped by in his notebook and also understood the local color preferences and price ranges. A few months later, a million yuan order arrived from Kazakhstan, and the goods were shipped directly to the Alamutu overseas warehouse along the cross-border logistics chain built by Linyi Mall. From cold reception to long order, it is the most vivid footnote of economic and trade cooperation between the two places under the the Belt and Road Initiative.

Three parties join hands to build a new platform

The 3rd China (Linyi) - Kazakhstan International Commodity Exhibition will be held in Almaty from September 10th to 12th, 2026. This exhibition is jointly guided by the Linyi Municipal Government of China (Shandong) and the Almaty Municipal Government of Kazakhstan. It is jointly organized by the Linyi Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Linyi Shopping Mall Management Committee, Linyi Shopping Mall Group, and the Kazakhstan Asian Trade and Culture Promotion Association, aiming to build a bridge for economic and trade exchanges between Kazakhstan and Linyi, and promote practical cooperation between enterprises from both sides in a wider range of fields and deeper levels.

On the morning of the 10th, the exhibition grandly kicked off. Sun Siyong, Chairman and General Manager of Linyi Shopping Mall Group, Yediljiang Akhtan Berdur Nalmatov, Deputy District Mayor of Alatau District Government in Almaty City, Hanat Baysek, Executive Chairman of the Presidium of the Kazakhstan Asia Trade and Cultural Development Association and President of the Kazakhstan China Trade Association, attended and delivered speeches. Afterwards, they jointly launched this exhibition with Janibek Zhannabekovich Shaidekrim, Deputy Director of the Enterprise and Investment Bureau of Almaty City, Li Xinyuan, Red Leader Secretary of Linyi Shopping Mall International Trade Group, and Kong Xiangfu, Chairman and General Manager of Linyi Shopping Mall Digital Trade Investment Co., Ltd. Sun Siyong introduced that Linyi is a market city and logistics capital, with a massive amount of high-quality goods and a complete supply chain. He hopes to use the exhibition as an opportunity to let more Kazakhstani buyers know and choose Linyi. Narmatov stated that Alatau District is creating an open and friendly business environment and is willing to provide support for trade and investment cooperation between enterprises from both sides. Hanat Besaic said that the joint construction of the the Belt and Road has provided an important opportunity for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. The Association has continuously assisted in holding several exhibitions and will continue to bridge the gap in the future.

Silk Road Cargo Connect is more accessible

The wider the channel, the smoother the business will be. The TIR international road transportation from Linyi to Almaty only takes about 5 days to go door-to-door, saving 15 to 20 days compared to railway transportation; As a node city of the China Europe freight train, Linyi has opened 24 international routes, and the number of trains bound for Central Asia continues to grow rapidly. The hard connectivity of logistics enables exhibits to become products on shelves faster. By 2025, the trade volume between China and Kazakhstan will reach 48.7 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 11%. China is Kazakhstan's largest trading partner; The total import and export value of goods trade between China and the five Central Asian countries reached 106.3 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 12%. At the beginning of the second golden decade of jointly building the the Belt and Road, Linyi's exchanges with Central Asia are moving from selling products to building channels and distributing overseas warehouses.

Hundreds of enterprises and thousands of products rushing to gather

This exhibition has a rich lineup and complete categories, with more than 100 Linyi enterprises participating. The exhibits cover building materials, agricultural machinery and equipment, metal products, electrical equipment, solar and renewable energy products, automotive parts and tires, leisure food, small-scale wholesale goods, kitchen and catering equipment, household daily necessities, textiles, children's toys, cultural and educational supplies, outdoor sports equipment, beauty and personal care products, household appliances, lighting equipment and other characteristic products, fully demonstrating Linyi's industrial strength and foreign trade vitality. Kazakhstan has strong heavy industry, but there are shortcomings in light industry and daily small commodities. It forms a highly complementary relationship with 136 professional wholesale markets in Linyi and more than 6 million full category products. The exhibition accurately connects local livelihood needs, infrastructure needs, and industrial development needs.

From the first 103 companies participating in the exhibition in August 2024, with over 55000 buyers in attendance, to the second edition featuring 112 standard booths in May 2025, and the third edition arriving as scheduled, this exhibition has become a model for prefecture level overseas self owned brand exhibitions. The Kazakhstan Asia Trade and Culture Promotion Association and the Kazakhstan China Trade Promotion Association stated that they will continue to closely cooperate with relevant parties in Linyi City, promote the implementation of more practical projects, and make new contributions to deepening economic and trade exchanges and cultural exchanges between the two countries.Editor/Yang Meiling