Kazakhstan and China: A New Rival for Iran’s North-South Corridor?
Sea News – International Service – Following the 7th China International Supply Chain and Logistics Expo in Beijing, an agreement was signed to establish a new container hub at Kazakhstan’s Aktau Port between KTZ Express, China’s Lianyungang Port, and Aktau Port. The goal of this project is to increase the transit capacity of Aktau Port and strengthen transport cooperation between China and Kazakhstan.
Aktau Port’s Capacity to Increase to 250,000 TEU
According to Kairat Kaliolla, Director of Logistics at Aktau Port, the construction of this container hub will be completed by the end of 2025. Once operational, the container handling capacity at Aktau Port will rise from 70,000 TEU to 250,000 TEU per year. This significant development will help Kazakhstan play a larger role in international freight transit and enhance its position in global logistics routes.
The Middle Corridor and Kazakhstan’s Growing Transit Importance
Gaidar Abdykarimov, Secretary General of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), highlighted the importance of the “Middle Corridor” during the expo, describing it as a competitive alternative to traditional sea routes. He stated, “The Middle Corridor allows Kazakhstan to harness its transit potential and offers a faster route for transporting goods from Southeast Asia to Europe. This route is twice as fast as the classic maritime routes.”
Regional Competition and Impact on Iran
The development of the container hub at Kazakhstan’s Aktau Port and its related transit routes could potentially pose a challenge to Iran’s strategic position in regional transportation corridors. This project, which increases Aktau Port’s capacity to 250,000 TEU per year, aligns with the strengthening of the “Middle Corridor”—a route passing through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, and the Caucasus—which could emerge as a serious rival to the International North-South Transport Corridor, in which Iran plays a vital role.
The Middle Corridor, with its advanced infrastructure and strong support from China and Kazakhstan, offers reduced transportation time and costs. This could attract exporters and importers, potentially threatening demand for Iran’s transit routes. Especially as the strengthening of economic ties between China and Kazakhstan and the development of logistics infrastructure could divert some transit flows traditionally passing through Iran to this new route.
