Kazakhstan to Rebuild and Expand Its Riverine Trade Network First with China and Possibly Then with Russia

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 27 – All the countries of Central Asia are worried about the drying up of their rivers and lakes. Kazakhstan is no exception; but more than any of the others, it is simultaneously seeking to rebuild and eventually expand its riverine network for barge carried cargo.

            Its initial effort in this direction is a plan to be jointly carried out by Kazakh and Chinese firms to develop the Ili River’s 450 kilometers of its navigable flow and ensure that Astana will have a greater voice in Beijing’s use of water from that river within China (timesca.com/kazakhstan-eyes-revival-of-ili-river-corridor-as-logistics-artery/).

            That route was operational until 1980 but hasn’t been in the last four decades. By 2027, Kazakh and Chinese officials say, it will again be open for cargo transport and will be used to carry bulk cargo not only between these two countries but more generally across Central Asia and even more broadly.

            If the Ili River project proves successful, officials on both side, that would likely serve as a model for developing broader riverine networks not only between Kazakhstan and China but between the Central Asian country “westward via the Ural River to Russia and northward via the Irtysh to the Northern Sea Route,” The Times of Central Asia says.