Chinese bus maker eyes further presence in Kazakhstan

KARAGANDA, Kazakhstan, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Leading Chinese bus maker Yutong hopes to further deepen its cooperation with Kazakhstan, a project leader at the company said here Wednesday.

"As a closer neighbor of China, Kazakhstan is a very important country for cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative. I hope that our cooperation will last for many years," Huang Yuanchao, head of Yutong's bus and special equipment production project in Kazakhstan, told Xinhua.

According to Huang, Yutong and Kazakh company QazTehna LLP began cooperating at the end of 2019 on the production of passenger buses and road construction equipment. The two sides launched a large-unit production line at a joint plant in the city of Saran in Karaganda oblast at the end of 2020, and a small-unit production line in June this year.

The joint plant employs 28 Chinese specialists to provide technical and vocational training for Kazakh workers, Huang said.

Argulan Maikonov, director of QazTehna LLP, told Xinhua that 200 buses have already been produced so far by the joint plant, adding that the plant will operate at full capacity by the end of the year.

"With the arrival of Yutong to Kazakhstan, the quality of the bus fleet will increase in the first place. The buses are very comfortable and economical. They are reliable, have low repair costs and a small percentage of breakdowns. Also, Yutong buses at our company are environmentally friendly," Maikonov said.

"We analyzed and surveyed passengers who use Yutong transport. And all the reviews are positive," Maikonov added.