Kazakhstan is making a strategic move to bolster its regional connectivity by ramping up development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), or the Middle Corridor, a major trading route which runs all the way from China to Europe.
As a vital node along the Belt and Road Initiative, the Middle Corridor traverses across Kazakhstan, providing an alternative to the traditional northern routes running through Russia. This corridor combines road, rail, and maritime infrastructure to facilitate the efficient movement of goods between the world's major economic hubs.
The transport route begins in China's eastern Lianyungang Port and passes through Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, and on to Europe and Africa, making it a key connector between countries and continents.
Kazakhstan sees the construction of the corridor as a priority as it is one of the countries where the rail and maritime route must pass, offering the shortest land trading link between China and Europe.
Gaidar Abdikerimov, secretary general of the TITR association in the Kazakh capital Astana recently returned from a trip China, where he was busy promoting the benefits Middle Corridor to local clients.
"The Middle Corridor is especially unique due to its multi-modality. We can deliver cargo in 14 to 18 days from China to the borders of Europe, and this is our main advantage," he said.
Last year, a total of 2.8 million tons of cargo traveled across the Middle Corridor, representing a year-on-year increase of 64 percent, highlighting the growing importance of this route.
Eleven nations are currently members of the TITR association, but Abdikerimov says new applications are being received.
He said that in order to fully release the full potential of the corridor, more infrastructure will be built in the future to help facilitate trade along this key cross-continental trading route.
"Step by step we are expanding our capacity, and our expectations are very big because the geopolitical situation is changing constantly, and the route must work regardless of these circumstances," he said.
Kazakhstan pushes forward with development of "Middle Corridor" trading route
