China overtakes Russia as top import source for KazakhstanChina surpassed Russia as Kazakhstan’s largest import source for the first time in over a decade, increasing its share of imports to 28.8% in January-February 2025, while Russia’s share fell to 28.5%, according to Kazakhstan’s Bureau of National Statistics.Russia had maintained the top spot in Kazakhstan’s imports for over 10 years, but China’s export volumes surged throughout 2024, and the trend continued into early 2025. In January alone, China’s share of Kazakhstan’s imports rose to 32.2%, while Russia’s fell to 27%.Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Trade and Integration attributed the growth in imports from China to sharp increases in several product categories. Imports of road and construction machinery doubled to $65.2 million, while imports of mechanical devices for spraying liquids or powders surged 630% to $37.2 million. Imports of computers rose 30.4% to $123.5 million, electric generators increased 290% to $35.1 million, and automobile bodies grew 43.4% to $79.3 million. Imports of thermal processing equipment increased 310%  to $29.4 million, and aluminum plates, sheets, and strips rose 110% to $28.5 million.Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s imports from Russia declined by 2% to $2.4 billion in January-February 2025.The Ministry of Trade cited reduced imports of key Russian products, including unrefined copper and copper anodes, which fell to zero from $68.2 million, and wheat, which dropped 92.3% to $5.7 million. Imports of other plastic products declined 89.9% to $5.9 million, while imports of unprocessed or semi-processed gold plummeted to zero from $39.5 million. Other significant declines in imports from Russia included knitted clothing down 45.5% to $41 million, semi-finished products of non-alloy steel down 38.9% to $39.6 million, and hot-rolled flat steel down 40.9% to $26.5 million.Kazakhstan imposed restrictions on wheat imports in 2023 and banned them from July 2024 to the end of the year to protect the domestic market from cheaper Russian wheat imports. Russian wheat exports to Kazakhstan resumed in late February 2025, according to Russia’s agricultural regulator Rosselkhoznadzor. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX