Ambassador expects cooperation will expand further on Belt, Road

President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Kazakhstan will inject new energy in the further development of Sino-Kazakh relations, a diplomat from the Central Asian country said.

Shakhrat Nuryshev, the Kazakh ambassador to China, said Xi will meet with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and exchange opinions over issues under bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

“The two leaders will discuss further cooperation in the fields of trade, cross-border transportation, energy, investment, production capacity, innovation, technology and culture,” the ambassador said.

He said China and Kazakhstan have close political links, as the two countries are a permanent member and a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and China is now taking up the presidency of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, which was initiated by Kazakhstan.

“China will also take over the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after the coming summit in Astana,” he said, adding that the agreements signed during the summit will enhance relations between the two countries, as well.

In an exclusive interview with China Daily, Nuryshev said China is one of the most important neighbors to have established a pragmatic and constructive dialogue since Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991.

The two countries celebrated the 25 th anniversary of diplomatic relations on Jan 3, and both leaders agreed that relations between China and Kazakhstan have reached