Silk Route still has obstacles in Kazakhstan's red tape
Landlocked nation's bid to become alternative to sea route between China and Europe is hobbled by costly and time-wasting red tape
Kazakhstan wants to establish itself as a major trading hub between China and Europe and get a share of a US$600 billion market, but it will have to drop tough, often time-wasting regulations that hurt its reputation as a cross-border trading partner.
The landlocked Central Asian country has its eye on one day claiming a tenth of China-Europe traffic from maritime shippers, using its strategic location and help from major cargo handler Dubai Ports World.
Its geographical position - it has a 1,780km border with China - suggests it is well placed to offer an alternative land route to maritime shipping for cargo from China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
One train service, linking the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing with Germany's Duisburg, already runs regularly, reducing delivery time by up to two-thirds compared with maritime shipping.
But using the railway route costs about twice as much as the sea route, making it practical only for time-critical shipments or high-value-added goods.
The train running between Chongqing and Duisburg, for example, has delivered Acer and Asus computers to Europe and Mercedes and BMW cars to China.