Shenzhen has deepened cooperation with Kazakhstan in the digital economy, logistics, service trade, cross-border e-commerce, and new energy since 2013, when the Central Asian country became the first country to support China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and participate in its development. An increasing array of Shenzhen's "smart manufactured" products and "Shenzhen technologies" have made their mark in Kazakhstan.
By the end of 2023, Shenzhen-based companies had made direct investments for the establishment of 10 enterprises and institutions in Kazakhstan. These projects had a cumulative agreed investment of US$24.26 million, of which US$22.73 million was contributed by Shenzhen entities. Additionally, Shenzhen firms had secured new contracts for projects in Kazakhstan worth US$24.194 million in total, according to the city’s commerce bureau.
In a recent development, Shenzhen Energy inked a cooperation framework agreement with the Astana city government on environmental protection projects. As part of this collaboration, Shenzhen Energy is poised to construct Central Asia's first modern comprehensive ecological park, which includes a waste-to-energy plant, in Astana.
Railways are a vital component of Kazakhstan's transportation infrastructure. With its participation in the BRI, there has been a significant surge in the volume of railway freight in the country, necessitating enhanced safety and efficiency standards.
In response to these demands, Shenzhen-headquartered Hytera has tailored a specialized communication system for Kazakhstan's railway sector. This system, now operational on the mainline from Horgos to Almaty, offers real-time train tracking and optimizes train spacing.
Hytera opened an office in Kazakhstan in 2015 that provides reliable and secure communication solutions for public safety, transportation, energy, and mining sectors.
Technological cooperation has become a highlight of Shenzhen's economic cooperation with Kazakhstan. Huawei, a longstanding partner with Kazakh Railways, is set to spearhead the digital transformation of the railway company. Furthermore, Huawei will extend its expertise to the development of Kazakhstan's digital government platform.
Shenzhen enterprises have been proactive in extending their support to Kazakhstan, particularly in nurturing talent.
In 2018, Huawei initiated its "Seeds for the Future" program in Kazakhstan to provide local students with information and communication technology (ICT) training. So far, Huawei has opened 25 ICT academies in the country, which have trained more than 80 teachers, certified over 700 students, and educated over 3,000 learners.