Astana (TDI): Kazakhstan’s logistics terminal in Xi’an, a major transportation hub in China’s Shaanxi Province, has catalyzed a dramatic increase in container traffic along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), boosting Kazakhstan’s position as a major player in regional trade.
Freight volume from China via this corridor increased 33-fold in 2024, according to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway operator.
Operational since February last year, the terminal has become a linchpin in cross-continental trade, increasing the flow of goods between China and Europe through Kazakhstan.
Xi’an hosts China’s largest dry port and is a pivotal launch point for freight to Europe. More than 30 percent of all container trains departing China for the European Union (EU) originate from Xi’an, while nearly 40 percent of China’s imports from the Commonwealth of Independent States, which includes Kazakhstan and Russia, are routed through the city.
Currently, the Kazakhstan terminal in Xi’an has an annual handling capacity of 133,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).
In 2024, it processed more than 276,000 tons of cargo, equivalent to nearly 23,000 TEU. In the first four months of the current year alone, the terminal handled 10,524 TEU (or 126,288 tons). Plans are being considered to expand throughput to 83,000 TEU annually by 2030.
Read More: Container Traffic Through China-Kazakhstan Terminal in Xi’an Surge
The terminal predominantly facilitates the shipment of vehicles and auto parts from top Chinese companies including BYD, Geely, Chery, and Hongqi. It also processes large volumes of electronic items, metal products, and consolidated cargo.
This development highlights Kazakhstan’s growing strategic role in the TITR, a route increasingly seen as a vital alternative to the Northern Corridor passing through Russia.
Read More: Kazakhstan Emerges as Key China-Europe Transit Hub
As trade dynamics shift, Kazakhstan continues to assert itself as a central transit hub linking China with Central Asia and Europe.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
