XI’AN: Picture the scene: Kazakhstan workers manage inventory as gantry cranes hoist containers onto trucks and trains. Now, think… where this might be taking place? Your initial answer might not be the inland city of Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province in northwest China.
If you are someone who loves history like me, then you may have already heard about the city. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was called Chang’an, and it was a hub for merchants, envoys, and students from across the globe.
Despite the name change, the openness of Xi’an, the eastern starting point of the ancient Silk Road, endures, albeit in a more modern form.
The scene at the top of this story describes China-Kazakhstan (Xi’an) Trade Logistics, a freight terminal in Xi’an international port station. It was here that I met Sadvakkas Seitzhanov, general manager of the Chinese branch of KTZ Express, a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ).
Strolling around some of the 6.67-hectare terminal, we used our “outside voices” so we could hear each other over the background sounds of roaring machines. Pointing to row-upon-row containers loading Kazakh goods, Seitzhanov said they are waiting to be transported to eastern China and Southeast Asia. “The booming bilateral trade in recent years has given us the confidence to expand business in China.” –Agencies
