Container traffic between Kazakhstan and China continues to grow

During the first half of 2026, a total of 1.085 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) were transported through the railway border crossings between Kazakhstan and China. This represents a 6.6% increase compared to the same period last year. Of the total volume, 741.8 thousand TEU were transported in transit through Kazakhstan, up 10.4% year-on-year.

The figures were presented in Astana during a working meeting between JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) and a delegation from Urumqi Railway Co., Ltd. of China State Railway. The participants reviewed the results of freight operations for January–June 2026 and discussed measures required to achieve the annual freight transportation targets.

In the first six months of 2026, the total freight volume between Kazakhstan and China reached 18.662 million tonnes, marking a 9.2% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Freight transported from Kazakhstan to China totaled 11.702 million tonnes, up 9.5% year-on-year. Cargo shipments from China to Kazakhstan amounted to 6.96 million tonnes, representing an 8.7% increase.

The meeting also highlighted the steady growth of cargo flows toward the countries of Central Asia and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including shipments along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR). To maintain this positive trend, the parties agreed to continue their joint efforts to ensure reliable and uninterrupted logistics services.

The Kazakh side also reported growing demand from neighboring countries for imports of liquid bulk petroleum cargo from China. Given the strategic importance of this direction, Kazakhstan confirmed its readiness to receive and handle up to 90,000 tonnes of such cargo every month.

For their part, the Chinese representatives expressed their willingness to support these shipments and jointly assess the technological capabilities of border infrastructure in order to further increase the capacity for transporting liquid bulk cargo.