Photo shows the joint inspection building at the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center. (Photo/Yong Chengfan) 

Horgos, situated within the Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture of China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, stands as a pivotal gateway for China's westward opening-up.

Once a key staging post along ancient trade routes where camel bells echoed across the Gobi Desert, today the city has become a vibrant business magnet, drawing investors and entrepreneurs from Central Asia and Europe.

For an increasing number of foreign businesspeople, Horgos is no longer just a destination for trade trips -- it has become a second home they keep returning to.

As dawn approaches, cross-border trucks queue efficiently at the Horgos highway port, navigating customs procedures.

Kazakh businessman Ilyas, with 14 years of experience in the Horgos fruit and vegetable trade, has witnessed this transformation firsthand.

Fresh produce trade depends heavily on swift clearance; delays lead to significant losses as perishable goods spoil quickly. Previously, Ilyas would arrive before daybreak just to secure precious delivery time.

To address sluggish customs procedures and high spoilage rates for fresh agricultural products, Horgos Customs established a China-Kazakhstan "green channel" for agricultural products, offering priority inspections and immediate release upon arrival.

The new arrangements have created a fresh rhythm for cross-border produce trade: goods picked in the morning can clear customs the same day and reach markets that very night, allowing high-quality Chinese agricultural products to reach overseas consumers while still fresh.

Recent years have seen new energy vehicle (NEV) exports emerge as a major growth driver for Horgos trade. Recognising the strong demand for Chinese electric vehicles across Central Asia, Kazakh businessman Khambati seized the opportunity, registered a company in Horgos, and entered the vehicle export logistics business.

To facilitate NEV exports, Horgos Customs introduced a fast-track clearance scheme for self-driven export commercial vehicles, significantly streamlining offline procedures and moving the entire process online.

Photo shows the Horgos railway port. (Photo/Yong Chengfan) 

The average customs processing time has been reduced from more than 30 hours to less than five. Standardized workflows, intelligent services and around-the-clock operational support have made Khambati's logistics operations highly predictable and significantly improved delivery efficiency.

Horgos has also pioneered a new multilingual cross-border livestreaming business model, the first of its kind in Xinjiang. The local government provides free exclusive live-stream venues, builds professional livestream bases, and runs regular training courses for new streamers, offering hands-on guidance on product sourcing and account operation.

Today, over 20 livestreaming studios in the commercial building of the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center stay busy with nonstop broadcasts, selling Chinese cosmetics, clothing and daily necessities to consumers in Central Asia and Europe.

Kazakh livestreamer Alten Asenbek moved into the Horgos cross-border e-commerce livestreaming base last December. Starting with barely any orders, he has now built a social media following of over 26,000, with peak hourly sales hitting 14,500 yuan (about $2,134).

At the Dastarkhan restaurant inside the Center, visiting merchants and local residents often gather around tables to chat.

Locals fondly call this little diner the "Sisters Restaurant."It is a successful cross-border business jointly founded by Kazakh entrepreneur Toktabayeva Almira Sansiba and her Chinese partner Guli.

Recently, thanks to supportive policies, more than 80 percent of the restaurants, retail stores and accommodation providers inside the cooperation center have completed upgrades to their point-of-sale terminals. The new system supports dual-currency settlement in Chinese yuan and Kazakh tenge, and accepts international credit cards alongside mainstream domestic and overseas mobile payment methods.

Young visitors from Kazakhstan experienced Chinese calligraphy at a China-Kazakhstan youth cultural exchange event in Horgos. (Photo/Yong Chengfan) 

"The process is fast and secure," Sansiba explained. "Customers simply scan a code to pay. Tenge amounts are automatically converted, and yuan funds arrive directly in our accounts."

Booming business has turned Horgos into her second home. "I've made friends from all over the world. Diners stay for tea and long conversations after meals, just like family. We are no longer mere travelers; we have become part of one big family."

Beyond creating a business-friendly environment, Horgos has continued to improve public services for foreign residents by leveraging talent policies associated with the pilot free trade zone and its broader opening-up initiatives.

In January last year, Uzbek businessman Bekzati relocated his family to Horgos to start a local business. Unfamiliar with both the language and local policies, he became deeply worried about finding schools for his three children. Community staff proactively reached out and eventually helped resolve his children's schooling issue.

Catering to the large flow of foreign truck drivers and merchants passing through the port, the Yingtar community in the Horgos Industrial Park subdistrict has launched regular consultation sessions for international residents, targeting and addressing their practical concerns.

Inside the China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center, a Kazakh streamer hosts a live sales session. (Photo/Yong Chengfan) 

With maturing public services and attentive, inclusive governance, Horgos is becoming a place that overseas merchants not only want to visit, but are also eager to return to, and, for many, a place they now call home.