ASTANA/Xinhua
Chinese language President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday for a state go to and to attend the twenty fourth Assembly of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO).
That is Xi’s fifth go to to Kazakhstan and the second in lower than two years, following his earlier state go to in September 2022. This time, the go to is anticipated to deliver a renewed give attention to the multifaceted elements of bilateral ties and cooperation.
Calling the China-Kazakhstan partnership “distinctive,” Xi stated upon his arrival that the 2 nations’ everlasting friendship has grown stronger over time, and has set an instance of solidarity, mutual profit and mutual success amongst neighboring nations.
In a collection of scheduled conferences with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Xi is anticipated to have interaction in detailed talks geared toward additional strengthening cooperation between the 2 nations. The talks are anticipated to give attention to commerce and funding, infrastructure growth, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
“The leaders of our nations have launched a brand new ‘golden 30 years’ of cooperation between Kazakhstan and China,” stated Gulnar Shaimergenova, director of the Heart for China Research in Kazakhstan, referring to a joint announcement by the 2 heads of state throughout Xi’s go to in 2022.
With Kazakhstan-China relations rising to a excessive degree, Xi’s go to to Kazakhstan is believed to open up new prospects for bilateral cooperation, he stated.
Throughout Tokayev’s go to to China in 2019, the 2 nations determined to improve their ties to a everlasting complete strategic partnership. At a every day press briefing in Beijing on Monday, a Chinese language International Ministry spokeswoman stated Xi’s go to this time is anticipated to additional strengthen bilateral relations.
The deepening mutual belief and political ties between China and Kazakhstan has been accompanied by outstanding development of their commerce and financial cooperation over the previous three a long time. China was Kazakhstan’s largest buying and selling companion in 2023, with bilateral commerce growing by 32 % year-on-year to $41 billion. Kazakhstan’s foremost exports to China embody crude oil, metals and agricultural merchandise, whereas China has equipped Kazakhstan with equipment, electronics and shopper items, in accordance with Kazakh authorities knowledge.
The Central Asian nation has additionally emerged as a key companion of the China-proposed Belt and Highway Initiative, which goals to spice up connectivity and promote international prosperity via infrastructure growth and facilitating commerce and funding. It was in Kazakhstan in 2013 that Xi first proposed the Silk Highway Financial Belt initiative. “This marked a powerful chapter within the Belt and Highway cooperation between our two nations. And the event of China-Kazakhstan relations has since entered a brand new stage,” Xi stated in a signed article by Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper and Kazinform Worldwide Information Company at present.
Since then, the 2 nations have made vital progress in strengthening connectivity and financial integration via numerous Belt and Highway Initiative initiatives.
Among the many most up-to-date are the Zhanatas wind farm, the Turgusun hydroelectric energy plant and the modernisation of the Shymkent oil refinery. These developments underline the robust power cooperation that drives the event of each nations. The China-Kazakhstan oil and gasoline pipelines additionally function with outstanding stability and safety, guaranteeing a relentless and very important power provide for each economies.
This dynamic partnership has additionally prolonged to transportation infrastructure, with key transportation and logistics hubs such because the Xi’an Terminal, the Western Europe-Western China Freeway and the China-Europe Categorical Practice working easily.
The Belt and Highway Initiative’s help for cross-border transport infrastructure has benefited Kazakhstan’s connectivity, in accordance with a World Financial institution report titled “South Caucasus and Central Asia: Kazakhstan Nation Case Examine of the Belt and Highway Initiative.”
For greater than a decade, Kazakhstan has made substantial investments to enhance its personal transport community, however with extra restricted enhancements in commerce facilitation and useful resource constraints in lots of neighbouring nations, it has been tough to fill the gaps.
The Belt and Highway Initiative’s give attention to increasing transport infrastructure and financial integration, in addition to China’s efforts to attach its western and central areas extra successfully with Europe and Western Asia, present a chance to fill these gaps, in accordance with the World Financial institution report.
“Kazakhstan is prone to be one of many largest beneficiaries of the Belt and Highway Initiative,” the report concludes.
In the meantime, Xi’s go to is anticipated to result in a consensus on deepening cultural and people-to-people exchanges. Each nations have lengthy acknowledged the significance of fostering larger understanding and friendship between their peoples, and regard cultural exchanges as one of many foremost pillars of their bilateral relationship.
To this point, a China-Kazakhstan settlement on the mutual institution of cultural facilities has been signed. Chinese language and Kazakh filmmakers have co-produced a movie titled “The Composer,” which is their first co-production. Bilateral cultural cooperation applications have been applied, equivalent to a Chinese language college campus in Kazakhstan, a Luban Workshop, and a standard Chinese language drugs middle.
Due to mutual visa-free agreements, a complete of 600,000 cross-border journeys had been recorded in 2023. Within the first quarter of this 12 months, the variety of visits in each instructions amounted to 200,000 and is anticipated to achieve a brand new excessive, official knowledge from each side have proven.
In an unique written interview with Xinhua earlier than Xi arrived right here, Tokayev burdened the significance of cultural and people-to-people communications between the 2 nations, because the opening ceremony of the “Kazakhstan Tourism 12 months” in China was held in Beijing in March.
“Cultural and people-to-people cooperation performs an necessary position in strengthening bilateral ties and fostering friendship between the peoples of our nations,” he stated.
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