Rail Transport Between Kazakhstan and China Is Growing

The volume of rail freight transportation between China and Kazakhstan increased by 13% in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, reaching 11.4 million tonnes, according to the press service of “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” as reported by SeaNews. Of this, 6.2 million tonnes passed through the Dostyk border crossing, which is 5% more than the previous year, while 5.2 million tonnes went through Altynkol, a 24% increase compared to January–April 2024. Over the past five years, the volume of transport between Kazakhstan and China has grown by 48%, reaching 32 million tonnes. Exports from Kazakhstan to China have increased by 25% since 2020, reaching 13.7 million tonnes. Grain exports more than doubled—from 700,000 tonnes to 1.8 million tonnes. In 2024, Kazakhstan shipped over 3.3 million tonnes of grain cargo to China by rail, including 1.8 million tonnes of grain and 1.5 million tonnes of processed products. This included 600,000 tonnes of flour and other milled products (30% more than in 2023) and 900,000 tonnes of compound feed—five times more than in 2023.