Chinese carbon products manufacturer XDS Carbontech, one of the largest companies in the world, will invest in the Astana Kazakstan team.

According to Cycling News, the Shenzen-based company will be the team's primary investor for a period of five to ten years.

The Chinese-registered team would have a budget on par with cycling's top-level "superteams" such as UAE Team Emirates and Visma Lease-a-Bike.

The team will also change bike suppliers as part of the deal, moving from Wilier to little-known Chinese brand X-Lab.

Last week, Astana Kazakstan general manager Alexander Vinokurov met with Chinese representatives in Florence ahead of the Tour de France Grande Palais. The deal could be finalized and announced during the Tour.

The team is close to signing Australian sprinter Kayden Groves, whose contract with Alpecin-Desseuninck expires at the end of this season.

The 25-year-old has five stage wins in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in the past three seasons, but has yet to compete in the Tour de France.

Astana Kazakstan has decided to retain its WorldTour status for the next licensing period from 2026 to 2029, and the Chinese investment should allow Vinokourov to sign several other big-name riders and earn enough points, which should help him stay on the World Tour.

According to a report in L'Equipe last month, the influx of money could revamp the racing team, as as many as 18 of the team's current 29 riders are out of contract after the season.

China currently boasts 15 teams at the continental level and also competes in several UCI races, including World Tour and Women's World Tour stage races, Tour of Guangxi, and Tour of Chongming Island. Several Chinese riders have competed at the top level, including Li Fuyu, Wang Meiyin, Xu Gang, and Cheng Ji, the first Chinese rider to compete in the Tour de France.

Over the past decade, the country has been hailed as a new frontier as top-level cycling seeks new audiences and revenue: the Tour of Beijing, a legacy event born out of the 2008 Olympics, was held from 2011 to 2014, the Tour of Guangxi has been held four times since its inception in 2017.

Several, including the Champion System team, which was disbanded after rising to UCI Pro Continental status in 2011 and 2012, and the aborted Global Cycling Project, spearheaded by Shane Sutton and Brian Smith in 2018. Several grandiose projects have been scuttled over the years; in 2016, rumors circulated that the Chinese conglomerate Wanda Group was in talks to buy the Tour de France from ASO.

However, the deal between XDS Carbontech and Astana will create China's first WorldTour team for the 2025 season. The investment comes shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country and Kazakhstan had "established a unique permanent comprehensive partnership."

Xi recently visited Kazakhstan as a state guest to attend the 24th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional economic and defense grouping. Chinese state media reported that he supported Kazakhstan's membership in the BRICS.

During a diplomatic visit to France last month, Xi was presented with the Tour de France yellow jersey by Emmanuel Macron and invited to the Col du Tourmalet.

China's new big-budget World Tour team will no doubt be hoping to give the country more in the coming season and beyond.

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