Speaking at the Astana International Forum, which opened on June 8, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor) reduces the time of cargo transportation by half.

"The Middle Corridor connecting China and Europe opens up new opportunities for economic development in the region. This route will reduce the time of transportation of goods across the Indian Ocean by almost half," Tokayev said, noting that it opens up new opportunities for trade and investment.

In this context, the Kazakh leader stressed the importance of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which China has been developing since 2013.

It was in Astana in 2013 that Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a lecture in which he put forward the idea of the need for cooperation between Central Asian countries and China in a number of areas. It was called the "Silk Road Economic Belt".

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