China is more like a friendly market. They focus on their own economy and only want to produce good products, while the United States is manipulating the situation. They invade other countries, making things worse.
According to the Hong Kong's South China Morning Post report on October 18, Auyez Kabdygali, a 33-year-old car dealer from Kazakhstan's capital Astana, made the above comment when discussing the United States and China.
Cabudigali is preparing to change his business strategy: he will no longer focus on importing European cars, but instead sell Chinese electric vehicles. He has noticed that more and more local consumers in Kazakhstan and Russian customers are choosing Chinese cars, with price and quality being the main reasons. His grandfather also ordered a BYD Han, planning to pick it up at the border between China and Kazakhstan, and then drive hundreds of kilometers back home.
Kabudigali's fondness for China doesn't just stem from cars. He drives a BYD, pays with Alipay at local coffee shops, and often watches videos of Chinese game streamers. "Almost all the goods we purchase are made in China. It can be said that these products have indeed helped our daily lives greatly," he said. "China is helping us maintain our economic operations."
According to The South China Morning Post, as Chinese goods, investments, and infrastructure projects continue to enter Kazakhstan, the local people’s views of China are also changing. China’s influence in Central Asia is expanding from economic cooperation to daily life, and countries such as the United States, Japan, and South Korea are also intensifying their efforts to gain a foothold in this region.
In Astana, a city with a population of over 1.3 million, Chinese elements are everywhere. Modern buildings in the center of the city are adjacent to residential buildings from the Soviet era. A light rail line built using Chinese technology, standards, and equipment runs through the city center, connecting the airport with the downtown area. In the shopping malls, Chinese brands such as Mixcai Ice City, Mingchuang Yopin, Xiaomi, and Li Ning attract many customers.
In May of this year, the Astana light rail was put into operation. This project had been stalled for a long time, and more than ten years have passed since it was first proposed. Now, trains operate every about 5 minutes, making it the fastest mode of transportation from the airport to the city center. The station gates also support facial recognition technology.
The South China Morning Post reported that this is the first urban light rail in Central Asia, as well as the region’s first fully automated driverless train system. Currently, the expansion project of the light rail phase II is underway, and construction sites managed by Chinese companies can be seen in many places in Astana.
Astana Light Rail China Construction Group
Chinese cars also perform remarkably well in the local market.
According to official Kazakh data, in the first four months of 2026, car dealers in Kazakhstan sold approximately 2,122 electric and hybrid vehicles. Over 2,000 of these vehicles, accounting for more than 97%, were produced by Chinese automakers, including brands such as BYD, Li Auto, Geely Galaxy, Jikai, and Jishi.
Astana taxi driver Abray is driving a BYD vehicle and planning to upgrade to a new Han sedan.
At this price point, this is a good car.” He said, “My friends almost all drive Chinese cars, such as BYD and Changan.”
Cabridegli also mentioned that Chinese electric vehicles are not only affordable in price, but their equipped systems such as in-car infotainment systems have also attracted many customers. In the past, local consumers had doubts about the quality of Chinese cars, but these concerns are decreasing as word-of-mouth recommendations from users spread.
He drives a BYD car, pays at nearby coffee shops using Alipay, and often watches videos of Chinese game streamers on YouTube.
Cabadigali has visited China several times. His brother went to Shanghai to study in 2007, and he visited frequently during the following two years. The whole family also traveled to Hainan, and in 2012, they went to Beijing to seek traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
In his opinion, China is a friendly neighbor, and there are many similarities between Chinese culture and that of Kazakhstan.
