East Kazakhstan and China are performing mutually beneficial joint projects providing a powerful impetus to economic development - Governor Berdybek Saparbayev

In an interview to our correspondent, the region's governor, Berdybek Saparbayev shares on them.

- The People's Republic of China is our closest neighbor. We hold frequent meetings and have extensive contacts. In general, our relationships are quite good, especially with the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. For instance, we are performing a joint project in the cross-border Zaysan, where Tarbagatai Munai Gas produces natural gas and delivers it to East Kazakhstan. This is the first natural gas in our region. Chinese partners have constructed a 93-km-long gas pipeline for their own money and today one school in Zaysan is heated with gas and some apartment blocks in Zaysan are gasified. We have agreed with the Chinese side on that they will gasify all populated localities along the gas pipeline next year.
Another promising project is the construction of a joint venture to assemble small farm equipment and produce spare parts. We have already started working on it.
-Who will be doing it: the Chinese or Kazakhstanis?
- Kazakhstanis. In the beginning, while we'll be training local staff, we'll involve Chinese specialists. Our farmers have a lot of tractors, but they prefer using convenient small-sized agricultural equipment. For instance, they purchase a small tractor for USD 3- 5 thousand. If such tractors are assembled in our country, they will be much cheaper for our farmers.
- At the last international honey festival in Ust-Kamenogorsk, which has become traditional, a lot was said about exporting local honey. Is there any progress in it?
- Yes, there is. This year, we started exporting our East-Kazakhstani honey to China. Thanks to robust backing of our embassy in China and our ministries, we have received the required certificate and permit. For instance, our regional company "Paseka" exported 1 000 ton of honey to China. We have agreed on exporting more honey in the future.
- Could you share on a "fruit-and-vegetable" project in Bakhty?
- We are opening a joint Kazakh-Chinese venture in the cross-border village of Bakhty for importing and sorting fruits and vegetables from China. All the imported fruits and vegetables will be sorted, stored in Bakhty and then transported throughout Kazakhstan.
We have a required permit for the construction of necessary infrastructure - storages, warehouses, etc. This project will help significantly lower prices for the agricultural produce, because there will be no mark-up from resellers, it will go straight from Bakhty to the shops and markets of Pavlodar and Karaganda regions.
- Could you share on other joint projects with Chinese partners?
- Sure, in Urdzhar district there is a company producing soy beans. So far, we have no soy processing enterprises, which China has, and we deliver our produce there for processing. This is so to say real working project.
There is another project we are planning to implement - the construction of a railroad. There are two versions of it and both promise to have a multiplier effect. The first version is to build a Maikapchagai-Zyryanovsk railway line. The districts of Zyryanovsk, Kurchum, Katon-Karagay are well known for their rich mineral deposits, which are not developed, because there are no roads and any transportation. In Zaysan district, there are slate deposits (around 4 billion tons), which are not developed because of high cost of production. A railroad there will allow using these natural riches. We are negotiating the construction of a railroad with the Chinese side.
The second version is the construction of a railway line from Bakhty farther to Ayagoz. Currently, we are working on both versions analyzing each version's advantages and economic return.
Another area for cooperation with good economica potential is bilateral tourism. We are now working at the opening of a flight from Urumqi to Taldykorgan via Ust-Kamenogorsk on large airplanes. So, in general, our contacts with Chinese partners are regular and fruitful.
- Thank you for the interview!
P.S. As earlier reported, a "green corridor" was opened at the Kazakh-Chinese border through the checkpoints of Bakhty and Pokitu for quick passing of agricultural produce. Kazakh customs service points out to that it doesn't mean uncontrollable transit of cargo through the frontier. According to East-Kazakhstan region's administration, the possibility of introducing a 24-hour visa-free regime for residents of cross-border regions of the two states is under discussion.