These days the Euro-Asia Economic Forum is taking place in Xi’an, China. Today, Director of Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerkin Tukumov spoke at the subforum of think tanks “Eurasian Economic Cooperation: in a new era”.
In particular, in his speech he noted: “This year President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with his Address to the People of Kazakhstan launched a profound transformation of the country’s economy, where the key role should be played by the manufacturing industry. This vector of development naturally requires the expansion of international cooperation on attracting investment, transportation communications, as well as joint infrastructure projects”.
In general, the main directions of KazISS Director’s speech were: the role of Asia as a source of innovation, logistical opportunities of Central Asia, as well as the prospects for the development of the 21st century industrial economy in Kazakhstan.
Thus, Yerkin Tukumov emphasized the positive trend of growth of Asia’s share in the world in terms of the number of patents, noting the impressive growth of China in this area. The head of KazISS also emphasized the growing role of e-commerce and its opportunities for the countries of the region: “Asia will account for 51.1% of global online retail revenues by the end of 2022. Countries in the region are at the forefront of the development and adoption of digital technologies, including robotics and e-commerce”, – he said.
Yerkin Tukumov, Director of Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, emphasized the importance of the Middle Corridor in the development of CA’s logistics potential. He expressed confidence that the Middle Corridor could become an important engine for the development of Kazakhstan’s transportation and logistics infrastructure. The reduction in transit time from China to Europe due to the joint efforts of the countries in the region was impressive. This period was reduced at least threefold, from 53 days to 19-23 days. In addition, the volume of freight traffic along the Middle Corridor increased substantially. In January-June 2023, it amounted to 1.3 million tons, which is 1.8 times more than in the first half of last year.
Yerkin Tukumov also expressed hope that in the medium term, the volume of cargo traffic along the Trans-Caspian route will reach 10 million tons per year. These successes emphasize the importance of the Middle Corridor and its potential to strengthen transport links between China and Europe through Kazakhstan.
Speaking about the prospects for the development of the 21st century industrial economy in Kazakhstan, Y. Tukumov noted: “Joint projects between CA and China are investments in regional stability. China is the anchor economy not only of Asia, but also of the whole world. And the expansion of Belt and Road activities in our region will shape the interconnectedness between Central Asia and China. Given the reserves of raw materials and other reserves that can become the main components for the production of electric cars, mobile devices, household appliances, unmanned aerial vehicles, robots and other equipment, Kazakhstan can well expect to build the economy of the XXI century industry. Therefore, Kazakhstan is interested in cooperation in the field of IT-technologies and artificial intelligence”.
Also the Third Forum of think tanks “Central Asia – China” continues its work. Within the thematic session “Modernization in diverse civilizations” Aidar Kurmashev, Head of Asian Studies Department of Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, made a speech. In his speech, he said that economic changes in Kazakhstan require more active international cooperation in attracting investment, developing transportation infrastructure and joint infrastructure projects.
He also drew attention to the important role of Kazakhstan in ensuring regional security. In an unstable world, Kazakhstan, in its role as chair of various international organizations, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and in the future the Organization of Turkic States, assumes special responsibility for maintaining peace and prosperity in Asia.
These statements emphasize the importance of Kazakhstan as an active participant in regional and international initiatives and its desire to contribute to the development of cooperation and stability in the region.
