China will send batteries to Europe via a route that bypasses Russia: Kazakhstan
China will soon send lithium-ion batteries to Europe via Kazakhstan on a trade route that bypasses sanctions-hit Russia, the Central Asian country said on Friday.
Trade along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) that crosses the Caspian Sea has surged since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, as European countries try to avoid imports through Russia.
Kazakhstan has agreed to “jointly develop” the route with Beijing and launch a “trial run for the transportation of lithium-ion batteries from China” in December, the Kazakh Transport Ministry said on Friday.
China is the world’s largest producer of lithium-ion batteries and among the biggest miners of the metal, which is used to power phones and electric vehicles.
“The volume of transportation from China along the TITR (towards China to Europe) has exceeded the equivalent of 27,000 20-foot containers, which is 25 times more than the same period last year,” the ministry said.
The ministry also noted an increase in freight transport between China and Kazakhstan, with both sides discussing the idea of opening new transportation routes across their common border.
Europe has viewed Central Asia as a key trading partner since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive, prompting a barrage of Western sanctions against Moscow.
Beijing has also invested billions of dollars in building rail and road routes across Central Asia as it seeks to turn the region into a trade hub for its “New Silk Road.”
Work is underway to build a China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway line that will shorten transportation times between China and Europe.
