China, Kazakhstan team up to build digital bridge for data economy

China and Kazakhstan have deepened their cooperation in the data economy, officially launching a joint initiative at the Global Data Ecosystem Conference 2026 held from Oct 30 to 31 in Shanghai.

Kicking off their partnership, Kazakhstan's Astana Data Exchange (ADX) and China's Shanghai Data Exchange (SDE) have begun work on their first joint listing of data products, allowing providers to offer them on both platforms. Industry associations, State-owned enterprises and private firms in finance and IT also joined a broader initiative on data markets, digital economy research and smart city projects.

The partnership builds on a 2025 strategic cooperation agreement between the two exchanges. ADX, one of the platforms on Kazakhstan's national register under the Digital Code, helps organizations list, find and exchange data products. SDE is a leading hub for cross-border data exchange and, in 2026, became one of three institutions designated to register data rights under China's national system.

Eleven international providers, including KoDATA, are preparing to list products on ADX, covering business information, finance, shipping and logistics, research and AI. The partnership could also help Kazakhstani providers offer services in China, such as market analysis based on aggregated, anonymized records.

Kazakhstan has built a highly digital economy: more than 90 percent of public services are online, and 98.3 percent of personal payments and transfers were cashless in 2025. Its Digital Qazaqstan strategy sets AI and data priorities through 2029, while the Digital Code, in force since July 2026, allows organizations to exchange data products through registered platforms.

China recognized data as a factor of production in 2019 and has since built a network of exchanges and a national data rights registration system.

Secure data exchange is set to help expand trade between China and Kazakhstan — bilateral trade reached $48.7 billion in 2025, and sharing verified records could speed border checks and customs clearance toward the two countries' $100 billion target.