Chinese media reports say China’s trade and economic cooperation with the five Central Asian has continued to achieve tangible results since the establishment of diplomatic ties more than 30 years ago.
Shu Jueting, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce, reportedly noted at a briefing that came ahead of the China-Central Asia Summit that China’s trade and investment with Central Asian countries continue to grow
The China Global Television Network (CGTN), the international division of state media outlet China, says that in 2022, China’s trade with the five countries – namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – reportedly totaled US$70.2 billion, reaching a record high with a 40-percent increase from a year ago.
In the first quarter of 2023, the figure was 22 percent higher than a year ago, displaying a strong growth momentum.
Last year, China’s imports of agricultural, energy and mineral products from the five countries surged over 50 percent from a year ago, while its exports of mechanical and electronic products to them jumped by 42 percent.
Trade via cross-border e-commerce reportedly rose by as much as 95% in 2022, while close to 300 Central Asian enterprises registered and sold their products on Chinese e-commerce platforms.
According to CGTN, China is now the largest trading partner of Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and the second largest trading partner of Kazakhstan, as well as the third largest trading partner of Tajikistan, according to the Commerce Ministry.
In terms of investment cooperation, China’s direct investment stock in the five countries reportedly came in at over US$5 billion as of the end of March 2023. The cumulative turnover of completed projects reached US$63.9 billion.
According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and China last year valued at 1,210,041,900 US dollars. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to China estimated at 368,334,600 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from China worth 841,707,300 US dollars.
Meanwhile, over the first four months of this year, the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and China has valued 458,491,100 US dollars. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to China estimated at 99,378,500 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from China worth 359,112,600 US dollars.
