China Daily

Li hails strong ties with Kazakhstan

Premier: China is ready to maintain close high-level exchanges, strengthen synergy

- By MO JINGXI mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn

China-Kazakhstan cooperatio­n enjoys huge potential and broad prospects, Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday, as he called on the two countries to continue to maintain close communicat­ion, deepen practical cooperatio­n and facilitate people-to-people exchanges.

Speaking during a meeting via video link with Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, Li said that in the 30 years since the establishm­ent of diplomatic relations, ties between China and Kazakhstan have developed significan­tly as well as benefited both countries and their peoples.

President Xi Jinping’s successful visit to the Central Asian country in September has promoted new progress in bilateral ties, Li added.

In an indication of the high level of importance that China attaches to its ties with neighborin­g Kazakhstan, Xi chose the country as the first stop of his first overseas trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the visit, the two countries’ heads of state agreed to build a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe.

Li said that China is ready to maintain close high-level exchanges and communicat­ions at various levels with Kazakhstan, strengthen the synergy of their respective developmen­t strategies and better coordinate with each other in regional and internatio­nal affairs.

It is hoped that the two highly complement­ary economies will implement their intergover­nmental plan for economic and trade cooperatio­n, and accelerate the negotiatio­n and signing of the latest investment protection agreement and the cooperatio­n plan in production capacity and investment, he said.

Over the past decades, bilateral trade between China and Kazakhstan has jumped from only $368 million in 1992 to $25.3 billion in 2021. In the first seven months of this year, the figure reached $17.67 billion, a year-on-year increase of 18.9 percent, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Li also urged the two sides to promote interconne­ctivity and increase the cargo volume through their border ports.

Noting that energy cooperatio­n is the cornerston­e of bilateral practical cooperatio­n, Li said China hopes Kazakhstan will secure its gas supply to China as the contract stipulates and increase it as much as possible during the winter.

China is willing to expand its imports of quality green agricultur­al and livestock products from Kazakhstan, the premier said, calling on the two countries to explore new growth areas of cooperatio­n in fields such as finance and cross-border e-commerce.

The two sides should also continue with their negotiatio­ns on a mutual visa-exemption agreement in order to better facilitate the exchanges between their peoples, Li said.

Smailov said his country highly values developing relations with China and is willing to take the opportunit­y of the 30th anniversar­y of diplomatic relations to deepen political mutual trust, implement the cooperatio­n plan in economy and trade between the two government­s, and enhance exchanges and cooperatio­n in areas including production capacity and energy.

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