Issues such as attracting local and foreign investors for the further development of logistics and the industrial zone of the project were discussed at a meeting chaired by the President of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Askar Mamin with project participants.

A. Mamin said that the Heads of State of Kazakhstan and China attached great importance to the development of this project. During the recent visit of the Head of State, an agreement was signed with China’s Jiangxi Province to invest in the development of logistics and industrial zones to the amount of SEZ $ 600 million.

So far, negotiations with more than 50 Kazakhstani and foreign companies have been held to define the conditions and possibilities of cooperation.

According to the director of the commercial department of KTZE-Khorgos Gateway LLP Hicham Belmachi, major logistics companies in the world are showing great interest in Khorgos. In particular, logistics companies such as DHL, HP and DB Schenker are ready to participate in the development of the SEZ, which is based on the standards and technologies of the worldwide terminal operator DP World.

Investors are interested in the favourable geographic location of Khorgos, at the intersection of significant logistics routes from China, Southeast Asia, the CIS, Europe and the Gulf. As noted by H. Belmachi, local and foreign partners are attracted by the opportunity to "get tax benefits and preferences, and customs privileges.”

Noting the importance of the Khorgos-East Gate SEZ project for the entire Eurasian continent, A. Mamin said that "at present, we have built the necessary infrastructure to create conditions for the active work of investors. Now they have to come to this base and carry out their activities.”

According to the Managing Director of the Management Company of the Khorgos-East Gate Free Economic Zone (FEZ) A. Karabalin, the project construction work is almost fully implemented.

(Source: KTZ)