Kazakhstan, a country in the heart of Eurasia, has a potential to become a key country to connect transcontinental routes between Europe and Asia. Despite the financial crisis in China the total amount of its trade with the European Union (EU) increased by 11.5% from €466.8 billion in 2014 to €520.6 billion in 2015. It is expected that China’s global transit shipping would increase to 17 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2020 and the significant share of this rail shipment would be directed through Eurasia, particularly, through Kazakhstan. The current railway network in Kazakhstan covers 14,800 km. According to the “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” (KTZ), the Kazakh state-owned company, which is responsible for railway transportation, the freight turnover in Kazakhstan amounted to 189.9 billion ton-km in 2015.
Zhengizkhan Zhanaltay is a deputy director in the Eurasian Research Institute at H.A.Yassawi Kazakh Turkish International University. Zhengizkhan completed his bachelor’s degree at international relations department of KIMEP University in 2010. He completed his master thesis named ‘Oralmans integration into Kazakhstani Society: Turkish Kazakh Case’ in International Relations department of KIMEP University in 2014. His research interests include international migration politics, labor and ethnic migrants social and economic integration into society and remittance.