Unexpected Tariff Hike Strains China-Kazakhstan Relations

Wheat woes will hit Kazakhstan during the second half of 2024. A projected overabundance of the country’s chief agricultural export commodity is expected to keep prices down. Compounding the challenges, Kazakhstan has suspended wheat exports to China for an undetermined period following unilateral tariff changes by Beijing. The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture reported that “more wheat was sown than expected” this spring, meaning that the coming weeks should yield “a high harvest, and, consequently, low prices.” In the…