Arguments about the logistics crisis on the Kazakhstan-China border, which periodically arise amid mass delays of lorries, remain as relevant as ever.
Ultimately, the disputants usually agree on one thing: the border with China is dominated by corruption and lawlessness. That is what we will discuss.
As far back as 2015, the Customs Union technical regulation “On the Safety of Wheeled Vehicles” came into effect in Kazakhstan, according to which freight vehicles must comply with the environmental standards Euro 4 and Euro 5.
The environmental standard is mandatory for all freight vehicles in order to regulate the content of harmful substances in vehicle exhaust gases.
It was for this purpose that the government recently established a so-called “risk profile” for Chinese freight vehicles.
Simply put, at the Kazakhstan-China border, freight vehicles are now checked for compliance with the requirements of the technical regulation.
In April 2024, an inspection revealed several dozen units of Chinese equipment that did not comply with the specified environmental standards.
The owners of the freight vehicles, aware of the ongoing operations, approached the problem creatively: some chose to enter the country via transit, others used a fake Customs Union vehicle type approval (OTTS) or a “dodgy” certificate of conformity of the vehicle's construction (SBKTS) issued to an individual, while others even went as far as installing dummy Adblue tanks.
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For reference: Vehicle Type Approval or OTTS is a document certifying that wheeled vehicles imported into the Customs Union countries comply with the safety and environmental standards in force there.
Certificate of Conformity of Vehicle Construction or SBKTS is a certificate of safety of the vehicle's construction, issued for cars imported from abroad by individuals, or for vehicles owned by legal entities that have already been used.
Adblue or AUS 32 is a liquid reagent used to clean the exhaust gases of diesel engines.
It is obvious that the new realities on the Kazakhstan-China border do not suit the “grey importers” very well, and as such they are trying with all their might to influence the situation, including by putting pressure on various government agencies.
It is not excluded that they still maintain serious levers of influence that allow them to obtain decisions in their favour.