Alatau City, an economic special zone near China's border in Kazakhstan: Emulating Shenzhen, China to build a tech hub

Kazakhstani scholars: Alatau City should become a strategic growth pole for artificial intelligence and robotics industries in Central Asia

News from Kazak International News Agency — In the "Jibek Joly" TV channel's program "Analysis," political scientist Khasiz Abishev pointed out that Alatau City should become the first fully digital core node in the region, serving as a vital bridge connecting Kazakhstan with Southeast Asian economic hubs. He emphasized that granting the city a special legal status is imperative to realize this vision.

He believes Alatau City should be developed into the region’s first fully digital city, where modern solutions—from promoting "smart city" technologies to adopting cryptocurrency payments for goods and services—will be implemented. Thus, this new city will serve as a model of future Kazakhstan, combining technological advancement with a livable environment.

The project began in 2023. At that time, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev issued a presidential decree renaming Jetigen District in Almaty Region to Alatau City, bestowing upon it the status of a “technology city”—a key position as a future center of science and technology.

In his State of the Nation Address in September 2025, the Head of State announced cooperation agreements worth tens of billions of dollars signed during his visit to China. Under these agreements, leading enterprises that developed the large-scale science park in Shenzhen, China, have been brought into the Alatau City project. Additionally, several foreign companies have shown strong interest in leveraging the advantages of the new city for production and business development.

"However, relevant legislation has progressed slowly within bureaucratic institutions. At the expanded government meeting in February 2026, the Head of State noted that some state agencies, including the National Bank and the Financial Regulatory Agency, raised unprecedented objections, severely obstructing progress. Since then, the government and central authorities have accelerated their pace. There is now no turning back: since the new Constitution takes effect on July 1, 2026, it explicitly stipulates the establishment of special legal frameworks for rapidly developing cities. This means such cities are constitutionally guaranteed, and Alatau City should naturally be the pioneer," Abishev said.

Last week, the parliament passed a constitutional law—the Law on the Special Status of Alatau City. According to this document, Alatau City will adopt international advanced models of technology cities, introducing special economic and legal systems, including flexible tax structures, modern judicial mechanisms, and simplified registration procedures.

The city will be managed by the "Alatau City Administration," while strategic decisions will be made at the governmental level.

"A core question arises: Why does Kazakhstan need to build a brand-new digital city near Almaty? The answer is obvious. Not only is the city adjacent to a major metropolis, but it also lies close to the Chinese border and near a future nuclear power plant. The core mission of Alatau is to develop cutting-edge technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence. Kazakhstan aims to emulate leading technology hubs in Asia, the Americas, and Europe by establishing a digital science center to attract experts in AI to research and develop new technologies here," Abishev noted.

He further analyzed that such centers could link Kazakhstan with economies in China and Southeast Asia, potentially becoming one of the key drivers of global growth.

"Alatau will serve as a pivot for this process in Central Asia, providing momentum for indigenous technological development across the entire region," Abishev stated.

He believes that if the government successfully establishes a robust technology center in Alatau, attracting top-tier talent and building a complete system for applied research and commercialization of its outcomes, it will lay a solid foundation for the nation’s future. This move will position Kazakhstan firmly in the global technology competition and enable sustainable development.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861243718611976/

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