1,500 Trucks Temporarily Queued at China Border: What is the Reason?

 

A temporary accumulation of freight transport is being observed on the Kazakhstan-China border. Approximately 1,500 vehicles are waiting to enter the PRC at the "Nur Zholy" border crossing point. As explained by the State Revenue Committee (SRC) of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan, the current situation is linked to the current pace of vehicle reception on the Chinese side and several accompanying factors.

The slowdown in flow has become noticeable in recent days. According to the SRC, between November 8 and 12, 2025, the Chinese side actually accepted an average of 700-750 vehicles per day.

These figures were somewhat lower than the planned indicators agreed upon on October 22 at a meeting of the heads of the border customs services of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the PRC.

The department recalled that during that meeting, an agreement was reached to accept at least 800 trucks per day. It was expected that by the end of the year, this figure would gradually increase to 1,000 units. The limits in the Kazakh Electronic Queue System (EQS) were set based on these expected volumes to ensure the continuity of the process.

An additional factor affecting the congestion at "Nur Zholy" was work at the adjacent Chinese "Dulaty" checkpoint (which adjoins the Kazakh "Kalzhat").

Due to the installation of an inspection and screening complex at "Dulaty," part of the transport flows was temporarily redirected to "Nur Zholy," which increased its load.

To normalize the situation and ensure a more uniform flow of traffic, a decision was made to optimize the limits.

From November 13, 2025, the daily limit for vehicle submission in the Electronic Queue System will be adjusted to 650 units. As explained by the SRC, this step will allow the flow to be synchronized with current throughput capacities and provide greater predictability for carriers.