Beijing, January 18 (Xinhua) — On January 18, it was learned from the Ministry of Commerce that the scale of goods trade between China and Central Asian countries has reached a new high, and the total import and export value has exceeded 100 billion US dollars for the first time in history, maintaining positive growth for five consecutive years. For the first time, China has become the largest trading partner of Central Asian countries, and the proportion of Central Asia in China’s foreign trade has further increased.
The head of the Eurasian Department of the Ministry of Commerce introduced that in 2025, under the guidance of the head of state’s diplomatic strategy, China and Central Asian countries will achieve significant development in economic and trade cooperation. According to Chinese customs statistics, the import and export of goods reached 106.3 billion US dollars in the whole year, a year-on-year increase of 12%, with a growth rate 6 percentage points higher than the previous year.
Specifically, the product structure is shifting towards novelty and optimization. China’s exports to Central Asia reached 71.2 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 11%. The growth of electromechanical and high-tech products was strong, and the market share of “new three types” products steadily expanded; Imports from Central Asia amounted to 35.1 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 14%. The variety of non resource products such as chemicals, steel, and agricultural products has further diversified.
Expanding and empowering new business models. The import and export of cross-border e-commerce between China and Central Asia have maintained rapid growth, warehousing and logistics construction has continued to advance, cross-border payment cooperation has been fully launched, and the China Central Asia Trade Cooperation Platform has been officially launched and operated in Nanjing, Jiangsu. “Silk Road E-commerce” has become an efficient bridge for smooth trade exchanges.
Integrated development of investment and trade. High quality co construction of the “the Belt and Road” cooperation continues to deepen and implement, and a number of major projects in connectivity, equipment manufacturing, green minerals, modern agriculture and other fields have been accelerated, effectively driving the expansion of exports to Central Asia, and helping Central Asian countries upgrade their industries and revitalize their economies.
The person in charge stated that in the next step, the Ministry of Commerce will make every effort to implement the important achievements of the China Central Asia Summit, coordinate and promote the quality and efficiency improvement of economic and trade cooperation, optimize trade structure, cultivate new business models, promote the integrated development of trade and investment, promote the establishment of higher-level institutional arrangements, and continuously enrich the economic and trade connotation of the China Central Asia Community of Shared Future.