Construction of Kazakhstan's logistics center gets underway at Xi'an Dry Port

ALMATY. May 18 (Interfax) - Construction of Kazakhstan's logistics center at the Xi'an Dry Port in China is now underway.

"This hub linking the Shaanxi region with Kazakhstan and Central Asia will open the way to Europe, Turkey and Iran. The project will give a new impetus to cooperation between the two countries," Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

He said that last year 23 million tonnes of cargo was shipped between the two countries by rail, which is a record-high figure. Transit shipping of goods in the first quarter of this year increased by 35% and exceeded 7 million tonnes.

Tokayev said that over the past 15 years, Kazakhstan had invested $35 billion in the freight transportation sector.

From next year, the dry port is expected to handle electronics and computer components, automobiles and auto components, textiles, clothing, footwear and accessories, food and agricultural products, construction products and building materials, as well as ores, metals and chemical products.