A railway track is rewriting the logistics map of the Eurasian hinterland. From the blueprint drawn on the forum site to the roaring of pile drivers on the Gobi Desert, China Kazakhstan cooperation is no longer just a paper agreement, but a visible and tangible channel and cargo flow. The Baktu Forum opens, adding another flame to this steel silk road.

Baktu Forum opens

China's major cities hold the Baktu-2026 Forum to facilitate economic and trade exchanges and cross-border cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.This forum attracted representatives from the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, the Abay Regional Government, as well as Temir Zholy NC JSC, Kedentrans Service Co., Ltd., and several other companies from Kazakhstan.

Improving the quality of logistics corridors

At the forum, Erdogan Nestai, Vice Chairman of the Railway and Waterway Transport Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan, emphasized the importance of improving transportation and logistics infrastructure and building international transportation corridors.

He introduced that Kazakhstan continues to build east-west, north-south transportation corridors and cross Caspian international transportation routes, while simultaneously upgrading ports and port supporting facilities. Cooperation with China occupies an important position in related construction. In the first half of 2026, the freight volume of the Harbin China Railway reached 18.7 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 9%; During the same period, Kazakhstan's exports increased by over 10%. These data confirm the continuous improvement of transportation connectivity between the two countries.

Railway project breakthrough

The key direction for expanding transportation cooperation is to promote the major project of the 303 kilometer Bakhti Ayagoz railway. The construction of this new railway is steadily progressing, with ongoing work on roadbed, structures, bridges, and sleeper laying. Approximately 1400 staff members and 900 sets of engineering equipment were deployed on the project site. Keywords: Baktu Forum, Central Asia, Railway, Port, Interconnection

After the completion of the project, the third railway border port between Kazakhstan and China will be opened, and the annual freight capacity of the corridor will be increased to 25 million tons, releasing the potential of transit transportation in Kazakhstan. The Baktu Forum has been held for the fifth time and has become a practical platform for implementing high-level consensus, deepening economic and trade cooperation, and expanding business connections.Editor/Gong Ziwei