The Belt and Road Market

To further expand the market in countries along the Belt and Road and deepen China-Kazakhstan cooperation in the chemical equipment sector, the organizing committee of the 2026 China International Chemical Technology & Equipment Expo (CTEF) recently conducted a three-day business visit to Kazakhstan. Focusing on industry exchanges, cooperation matching and market expansion, the trip achieved remarkable results and injected new impetus into China-Kazakhstan cooperation in the chemical industry.

1. Diving into Industry Exhibitions to Meet Enterprise Demands

From January 28 to 29, the organizing committee team visited and inspected the 1st Central Asia Chemical Show and the 3rd Central Asia Coatings Show held in Astana. As an emerging professional exhibition in Central Asia, it gathered fertilizer and chemical raw material producers, equipment importers and industry professionals from Kazakhstan and neighboring countries.

During the exhibition, the organizing committee proactively promoted the 2026 CTEF to many high-quality exhibitors, fully introducing its scale, influence and the value of its one-stop procurement platform. In-depth exchanges were held on-site with several local key chemical enterprises including KazAzot and Karatau Chemicals, and a preliminary intention of cooperation was reached. These enterprises clearly stated that they plan to organize visiting groups to attend CTEF and will actively consider equipment procurement and technical matching at the expo.

2. Cooperating with Organizers to Build a Bridge for Collaboration

On January 29, the organizing committee paid a visit to United Expo, the organizer of the Central Asia Chemical Show. The two sides held constructive talks on future cooperation, conducted in-depth exchanges on issues such as joint exhibition recruitment, co-construction of a B2B procurement matching platform, and organizing Kazakh enterprises to conduct business inspections in China, and initially established a cooperation framework. The talks aimed to integrate the resources of both parties, jointly explore the cooperation potential of the China-Kazakhstan chemical equipment sector, and create more trade and investment opportunities for enterprises of the two countries.

3. Linking with Chinese Institutions in Kazakhstan to Gather Supporting Forces

On the same day, the organizing committee successively visited the CCPIT Representative Office in Kazakhstan and the China General Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan. Representatives of the institutions highly recognized the platform value of CTEF and stated that they will actively assist in the promotion and resource matching of the expo in Kazakhstan. They promised to introduce relevant local industry associations and key enterprises, provide strong support for CTEF's in-depth development of the Kazakh market, and jointly serve the practical cooperation between enterprises of the two countries.

4. Expanding Related Industries to Explore Incremental Markets

On January 30, the organizing committee visited the Republican Association of Mining and Metallurgical Entities of Kazakhstan (AGMP), an influential institution in the country. The association has 82 member units, mainly engaged in the mining industry, and is currently facing industrial upgrading and diversified transformation, with a clear demand for chemical-related equipment. The person in charge of the association introduced that the equipment procurement of its member units is mainly oriented to China and Russia, and 2-3 Chinese enterprises have successfully cooperated with member units last year.

The association expressed great enthusiasm for cooperation with CTEF, stating that it is willing to introduce member enterprises with procurement needs for chemical equipment, actively mobilize and organize professional procurement groups to attend CTEF, jointly plan and organize special business inspections of Kazakh enterprises in China, and promote the landing of more cooperation projects.

5. Development of Kazakhstan's Chemical Industry and Market Opportunities

During this visit, the CTEF organizing committee also conducted an in-depth research on the macro landscape of Kazakhstan's chemical industry. As the core of the economic diversification strategy, Kazakhstan's chemical industry is undergoing a historic transformation from resource export to in-depth processing. The government plans to invest about 19 billion US dollars by 2035 to promote the implementation of 49 key chemical projects, aiming to enhance the added value of the industrial chain.

At present, a number of landmark projects have been fully launched:

Oil and gas chemical sector: Six large-scale projects with a total investment of about 15 billion US dollars are being promoted. Among them, a polyethylene plant with an annual output of 1.25 million tons (scheduled to be put into operation in 2029) and a polypropylene plant with an annual output of 500,000 tons that has been put into operation will reshape the polymer supply pattern in Central Asia.

Deep processing of mineral resources: In addition to oil and gas, Kazakhstan is also promoting the transformation of characteristic resources. For example, in Aktobe Region, a chromium deep processing project with an investment of 500 million US dollars has signed an agreement to produce high value-added chemical products; in Zhanatas, a large sulfur-phosphorus chemical complex with 1.6 million tons of sulfuric acid and 1 million tons of chemical fertilizer equipment has been awarded the front-end design to a Chinese enterprise.

These ambitious industrial plans reveal Kazakhstan's urgent demand for advanced chemical technologies, high-efficiency and energy-saving equipment, environmental protection solutions and intelligent systems. This is highly consistent with the advantageous areas of China's chemical equipment industry, laying a solid foundation for bilateral cooperation.

Partial Kazakh Merchants Who Have Reserved to Visit CTEF

Outlook and Invitation

This trip to Kazakhstan is a practical step for CTEF to lay out the Central Asian market and deepen international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. CTEF not only obtained the intention of visiting and procurement from many enterprises on-site, but also established stable cooperative relations with key local exhibition organizers, chambers of commerce, associations and overseas Chinese institutions, laying a solid foundation for subsequent market expansion and customer service.

CTEF has truly felt the strong demand for advanced technical equipment in the chemical and related industries in Kazakhstan and even the whole Central Asia, as well as the strong willingness to deepen cooperation with Chinese enterprises. As a leading chemical equipment exhibition platform in China, CTEF will continue to act as a super connector for China-Kazakhstan industrial cooperation. We sincerely invite numerous chemical equipment manufacturers and technology providers to pay attention to and participate in the 2026 CTEF China International Chemical Technology & Equipment Expo, to jointly seize the new opportunities in the Central Asian market and create a green, efficient and intelligent future for chemical equipment!