China is looking to increase investment in a new government-owned dry port in Kazakhstan as part of its Silk Road plan.
Khorgos Gateway, built by Kazakhstan’s state railway company and located near the Kazakh-Chinese border, started operation in July. A train station at Altynkol provided the only passage for cargo shipment at the border prior to Khorgos. The new project has turned this area into a logistics centre and an industrial production zone, attracting Chinese capital.
"We are in close talks with Jiangsu province. We met Jiangsu officials and investors at Lianyungang port two weeks ago. They will visit us soon to find out how they can invest," Hicham Belmaachi, deputy chief executive, commercial, at Khorgos Gateway, told the South China Morning Post.
Jiangsu, especially its Lianyungang port, has a long history of links with Kazakhstan.
"The [Chinese] investment will focus on the logistics and industrial area, including building warehouses and factories," Belmaachi said.
Khorgos is viewed as a key transit hub carrying cargo between China and Europe under China's New Silk Road strategy, which aims to rebuild trade links across Eurasia and the Indian Ocean.