The Khorgos International Centre of Boundary Cooperation JSC is a public company established under the Agreements between the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Government of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of creation of the Khorgos International Center for Transfrontier Cooperation at the Kazakhstan and China border in the Panfilov district of Almaty region.
The international center of boundary cooperation "Horgos" created at the initiative of heads of Republic Kazakhstan and the Chinese National Republic, will begin work on July, 1st, 2011. For today the project has no analogs in the world.
Under the intergovernmental agreement in a frontier zone will be created optimum conditions for development of bilateral business relations. Here will be held commercial negotiations, the international conferences on economic and trading subjects. Will be organized trade. For this purpose will construct hotels, restaurants, conference halls and the exhibition centers.
On territory of the center will operate the visa-free regime: citizens of Kazakhstan and the Peoples Republic of China can go to each other in "visitors" for 30 days without visa registration, having at itself the international passport.
The center a total area of 528 hectares consists of two parts: Kazakhstan (185 hectares) and Chinese (343 hectares). Both parts incorporate a special transport-pedestrian crossing. From Almaty to "Horgos" it is possible to reach for 3–4 hours, from "Horgos" to the nearest big city of Sintszjan-Uigur independent area of Kuldzha – less than in an hour, to Urumchi – for 5–6 hours.
In the observable future on the basis of ICBC it is planned to create a free economic zone «Horgos – East gates», that is to add the business specification of the center with manufactures and transport-logistical services. In territory of SEZ will be constructed the industrial enterprises, a residential zone, and also transport-surcharge terminals and «dry port». Last objects are bound to two large infrastructural projects which today are realized in Kazakhstan. The Western Europe – the Western China and a railroad line of Zhetygen – Horgos is a question of the international transit corridor.
To involve in SEZ "long" money, to investors in territory of "Horgos" will give a number of exclusive tax preferences which will be fixed in the updated Law «About special economic zones».
Now on the instructions of the Prime minister of RK Karim Masimov work on working out of the updated Concept of further development of ICBC "Horgos" and creation SEZ "BTEZ" by Horgos – East gate »taking into account realities of today is spent. According to experts, creation ICBC« Horgos »and SEZ« BTEZ «Horgos – East gate» is capable to give powerful acceleration to development of the whole complex of a customs, transport, trading and tourist infrastructure of region and transit potential of the country.
Stepan LEMESHEV
JSC "Republican newspaper "the Kazakhstan Truth"
