Shanghai, November 5. Kazakh producers signed agreements worth about $100 million on the first day of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the Ministry of Trade and Integration said.
Trade and Integration Minister Arman Shakkaliyev is taking part in the ninth expo: he toured the Kazakh exhibition, took part in the Hongqiao International Economic Forum and held a series of meetings. The national pavilion brought together about 40 Kazakh producers. They brought vegetable oils and fats, flour, confectionery and dairy products, and drinks. The ministry does not say who signed with whom, whether these were contracts or memorandums, or which goods made up the sum.
The expo runs from November 5 to 10, Xinhua writes. According to the agency, in 2026 Kazakhstan is the only “thematic country” of the Eurasian region and one of the main partners of the “Common Big Market — Export to China” initiative, first announced at the eighth expo. At the ninth, the agency expects more than 50 Kazakh companies. That is higher than the ministry’s figure of about 40 producers in the national pavilion, and neither source explains the difference.
Besides the deals at the expo, Shakkaliyev met the head of the administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The sides discussed the “Hub-to-Hub” initiative, which provides for developing interconnected trade and logistics centres. They also spoke about Kazakhstan’s transit potential, expanding routes and extra opportunities for promoting goods on international markets. With representatives of Chinese business the minister discussed localising high-tech production in Kazakhstan, robotics, building logistics complexes, warehouses and distribution centres, and investment in commercial real estate.
Trade with China is growing. In 2025 turnover reached $48.7 billion, 11% more than a year earlier, and in the first nine months of 2026 it was $43.3 billion, 21.9% more than a year ago. That is about 89% of last year’s total.
The $100 million of the first day cannot be compared directly with earlier results. At the seventh expo in 2024 Kazakhstan signed contracts worth $120 million over the whole expo, and a year earlier more than $81 million, the same ministry reported. The current sum is described as agreements rather than contracts, and it is the sum of one day: the results for 2026 will be summed up after the expo closes.
What it means: In one day Kazakhstan has gathered about $100 million, slightly less than it collected over the whole 2024 expo ($120 million), but the make-up of the deals is still unknown. How much of it turns into deliveries will be shown by contracts and shipments.
Who benefits: Kazakh food producers entering the Chinese market: the ministry links the agreements with growth of export deliveries and industrial cooperation. The ministry calls the interest of Chinese business in Kazakh products high, and trade with China grew by 21.9% in nine months.
Background: The China International Import Expo in Shanghai has been held every year since 2018; according to the ministry, thousands of companies from more than 160 countries and regions gather there. Kazakhstan takes part in it for the ninth time in 2026, Xinhua says. Hub-to-Hub is, by the ministry’s description, an initiative on interconnected trade and logistics centres.
We have also reported on exports of oil and fat products to China, which will reach 1 million tonnes in two seasons.
