China is a traditional consumer of Kazakhstan’s energy resources, but now the former Soviet republic plans to increase the export of Kazakh products to China, a Kazakh Trade and Integration Minister Bakhyt Sultanov said on November 4, Eurasia Diary reports citing the New Europe.

“We are talking about products of the mining industry, for example, copper cathodes or titanium products, and agricultural products. Interest in products from Kazakhstan is fully consistent with our policy of increasing non-oil exports. We will fully support the activities of Chinese companies working with Kazakhstan in non-resource sectors,” Sultanov said at a meeting with Xu Honglan, deputy mayor of Wuhan, during a visit to China.

According to Sultanov, Kazakhstan is ready to increase the export of Kazakh products to China by $1.6 billion for 60 commodity items.

“Our manufacturers have the opportunity to increase supplies to China: semi-finished products from iron and steel, steel, ferrochrome, uranium, sulfur, oilseeds, wheat, confectionery,” Sultanov said.

Kazakhstan also suggests that Chinese importers consider importing from Kazakhstan more than 30 goods that were not previously supplied – such as aluminum oxide, Portland cement, ferrosilicon, metal pipes, ferrosilicon manganese, chromium oxides and hydroxides, bearings, steel and iron rods and others, the minister said.