Kazakhstan has extended an open invitation to Chinese and international mining corporations to invest in domestic geological exploration, advanced extraction, and high-value mineral processing within the republic. The initiative was presented at the China Mining 2026 International Conference in Tianjin.
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Industry and Construction, Yersaiyn Nagaspayev, emphasized that Astana is strategically transitioning from raw ore exportation toward domestic technological localization, industrial manufacturing, and joint downstream value chains.
“We invite Chinese and global mining leaders to partner with us across geological surveying, extraction, and deep processing of raw minerals directly in Kazakhstan,” Minister Nagaspayev stated during his keynote address.
According to ministerial statistics, approximately 11,000 active commercial enterprises in Kazakhstan currently operate with Chinese equity participation. Major corporate leaders include CNPC, Sinopec, CITIC Group, Zijin Mining, East Hope Group, Huawei, PowerChina, SANY, Fufeng, and Lihua Group across energy, metallurgy, infrastructure, and telecommunications.
Bilateral Talks and Kazakhstan’s National Pavilion
During the summit, Minister Nagaspayev held high-level discussions with Vice Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China He Lifeng, reviewing bilateral manufacturing joint ventures, trans-Caspian supply corridors, and green metallurgy standards.
For the first time at China Mining, Kazakhstan presented a unified National Pavilion, opened jointly by Minister Nagaspayev and China’s Minister of Natural Resources Liu Guohong. The showcase unified domestic geological exploration firms, metallurgical processors, and priority investment projects.
The China Mining 2026 summit convened delegates from 65 nations, including 35 ministerial delegations, mining executives, and scientific researchers. Discussions centered on green mining technologies, digital mine management, and securing international supply lines for rare earths and battery metals.
Expanding Industrial Ties with China
The pitch in Tianjin follows a comprehensive expansion of bilateral industrial ties. Earlier in the year, Kazakhstani and Chinese corporate partners formalized more than 70 commercial investment agreements with a cumulative value exceeding $15 billion across automotive assembly, chemical production, and metallurgy.
Kazakhstan’s strategic stance remains unambiguous: foreign partners seeking access to the nation’s immense mineral wealth must establish domestic processing plants, transfer industrial know-how, and build finished manufacturing capacity within the country.
