Innovation took a step forward on July 28 when Kazakhstan officially inaugurated the Khan Tengri Innovation Hub in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, The Astana Times reported.
The hub, initiated by Growth Vision Pro and supported by Astana Hub, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, and IT Park Uzbekistan, is the first-ever platform aimed at integrating Central Eurasian startups and R&D centres into China’s innovation ecosystem.
As part of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC 2025), the opening was attended by Kazakh officials, including Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry.
The Khan Tengri Innovation Hub is designed as a next-generation tech diplomacy entity, offering incubation, acceleration, market entry bootcamps, and soft-landing support to scale Central Asian innovation and build bridges with Chinese investors and partners.
The hub facilitates cross-border technology transfer in digitization, high-tech, and R&D, and aims to begin joint ventures and startup expansion into global markets, including China, the Middle East and North Africa, and Europe through the Middle Corridor network. It also supports Chinese firms looking to enter Eurasian markets and promotes cooperation in venture capital and product exports.
Providing modern offices, coworking spaces, serviced apartments, legal and tax support, and mentoring, the hub works in partnership with the Chinese accelerator XNode, offering programmes like China Market Entry Bootcamp and China Launchpad for varying stages of business readiness.
The hub joins broader national efforts to position Kazakhstan as a regional fintech and innovation leader. Initiatives like Astana Hub support over 1,500 startups exporting to nearly 90 countries and driving more than $700 million in exports, linked to strategies set by the Astana International Financial Centre and Kazakhstan’s Vision 2050 for economic diversification and technology adoption.
Some analysts view the hub’s inauguration as part of Kazakhstan’s strategic alignment with China’s Belt and Road corridors, leveraging transit infrastructure at Khorgos and connectivity to Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
This development reflects the growing regional focus on sustainable tech diplomacy – building innovation bridges while supporting local scaling and global access for Central Eurasian startup ecosystems.
