Industrial Cooperation Between Kazakhstan and China: From Raw Materials to High-Tech Production

On September 25, 2026, in Almaty, as part of the Kazakhstan-China Investment Forum, the panel session “Industrial Cooperation: From Resources to Deep Processing and High-Tech Production” took place. The moderator was the General Director of the RSE “National Center on Complex Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan” Adlet Dogambekov.

The main goal of the discussion was to explore ways of combining resources, science, and capital to create production facilities of a new technological order in Kazakhstan. The discussion focused on the transition from a raw-materials model to a value-added economy: deep processing of raw materials within the country, technology development, attracting strategic investors, and modernizing the industry.

Opening the session, Adlet Dogambekov noted that the NC CPMRM is the scientific and technological core of this transition and presented a cooperation model with Chinese partners based on a 70/30 system: 70% - export of raw materials and primary processing, 30% - NC CPMRM technologies and deep-processing products for the European Union (EU) market. This will make it possible to enter European markets with an additional profit of 20-30%.

The session was attended by heads of mining and processing companies from Kazakhstan and China:

• Xiao Leng, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Party Committee Secretary of Sichuan Galaxy Chemical JSC (Sichuan Yinhe Chemical Co., Ltd.), presented the company's experience in zero-waste chromium processing. The company has grown from a small coal open pit into an industry leader: it holds 70% of all patents in the field of chromium processing, has introduced four generations of roasting technologies, and has built a vertically integrated chain - from chromium salts to electronic targets and catalysts. Its products are exported to more than 40 countries, accounting for over 25% of China's domestic market. The speaker noted that Kazakhstan's resource potential and Galaxy Chemical's technologies complement each other ideally and proposed creating a full cycle of “extraction - deep processing - high-tech materials.”

• Nariman Absametov, Chairman of the Management Board of Tau-Ken Samruk JSC, which represents Kazakhstan's interests in the mining and metallurgical sector. The speaker spoke about Kazakhstan's resource potential: the country ranks 1st-2nd in the world in chromium and tungsten reserves, 6th in molybdenum, and 7th in cobalt. The company is implementing a 2026-2028 geological exploration program with funding of $229 million, attracting partners at all stages - from exploration to deep processing.

• Nazar Terlyga, Deputy Director General and Executive Director of Zhetysu Volframy LLP. The company is implementing the country's first modern tungsten ore mining and processing project at the Boguty deposit, the world's fourth largest by tungsten reserves. A unique feature of the project is a conveyor belt inside a mountain tunnel on the southern slopes of the Ulken-Boguty ridge. The company already produces concentrate with 65% content and plans to produce ammonium paratungstate (APT). Its strategic partners include Jiangxi Copper, China Railway Construction Corporation and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

• Daniyar Rakhmatullayev, Deputy Director General for Strategy and Development of ERG Kazakhstan, gave specific examples of cooperation with China: a 400,000-tonne special coke plant (built with NFC China) and the 150 MW Khromtau wind power plant (with PowerChina Chengdu). ERG is a global leader in the mining and metallurgical complex, doing business on four continents and supplying products to more than 40 countries. The company plans to build a second electrolysis plant in Pavlodar with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes of aluminum (investment of $800 million - $1 billion) and, together with Astana Motors, launch production of alloy wheels - the first in Central Asia.

• Maxim Sofroneev, Director of the Market Strategy and Commerce Department of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP, presented data on copper processing: in Kazakhstan, the share of deep processing of cathode copper is only 3%, compared with 110% in China and 140% in the United States (taking into account the processing of imported raw materials). The company is the largest copper producer in Kazakhstan, combining a full cycle from ore mining to finished metal products. It ranks 20th in the world in copper-in-concentrate output and 12th in the world in blister and cathode copper output. The company is developing production of copper rod and wire, and also plans to produce high-purity selenium (4N-6N+) for electronics and photovoltaics.

Following the panel session, participants agreed that Kazakhstan has a unique resource base, but cooperation of science, business, and the state is necessary for the transition to a value-added economy.

The panel session became a platform for direct dialogue between Kazakhstani and Chinese companies, as well as for exchanging experience in mineral raw material processing technologies. Both countries are moving from simple trade turnover to the joint creation of full-cycle production facilities. This opens up new opportunities and sets the direction for industrial cooperation for years to come.

The Kazakhstan-China Investment Forum became the first format in the history of bilateral relations for direct dialogue between the Head of State and the business communities of the two countries. About 600 people took part in the event, including about 300 companies from Kazakhstan and leading corporations from China, representatives of the Government and relevant ministries of Kazakhstan, heads of national companies and holdings, regional akims (heads of local governments), and representatives of financial institutions.

The forum was organized by JSC “NC Kazakh Invest” with the support of the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The forum was a practical follow-up to the agreements reached on July 16, 2026, at the Kazakhstan-China roundtable in Shanghai with the participation of the Head of State.