Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev meet…

On July 3, 2024 at noon local time, President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev jointly met with the press after their talks at the Presidential Palace in Astana.

Xi Jinping said this is his fifth visit to Kazakhstan, a friendly neighbor, and his second meeting with President Tokayev after a nine-month hiatus. Just now, he and President Tokayev held friendly, amicable and fruitful talks and reached broad common understanding. They jointly signed the Joint Declaration between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Kazakhstan and jointly outlined the main directions for future cooperation between the two countries. They also witnessed the exchange of a number of documents on intergovernmental and interdepartmental cooperation between the two countries, covering key areas such as economy and trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, science and technology as well as people-to-people and cultural exchanges, injecting new impetus into the high-quality development of China-Kazakhstan relations.

Xi stressed that China-Kazakhstan relations are rooted in the ancient Silk Road that is thousands of years old, and have reached the high level of a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership after 32 years of mutually beneficial cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic ties. China-Kazakhstan cooperation is characterized by long-lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing of weal and woe. Looking ahead, both sides are full of confidence in carrying forward and developing the traditional friendship and all-round cooperation between the two countries.

The two sides agreed that China and Kazakhstan are both at a critical stage of development and rejuvenation and are partners on the path of modernization. The two sides will continue to carry forward the fine tradition of mutual support, continuously deepen political mutual trust, promote synergy of development strategies, firmly safeguard each other's core interests, and be strong backers that can be relied upon and trusted.

The two sides will engage in high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative to further promote new achievements of practical cooperation between the two countries. The two sides set a new goal of doubling bilateral trade as soon as possible. The two sides agreed to continuously deepen cooperation in traditional fields such as economy, trade, investment, production capacity, connectivity and energy, implement the roadmap for implementing the economic and trade cooperation development plan, advance production capacity cooperation projects for more fruitful results, and accelerate the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and the third China-Kazakhstan cross-border railway. The two sides will also jointly promote new growth drivers for cooperation in critical minerals, new energy, scientific and technological innovation, aviation and aerospace, digital economy and other fields, so as to contribute to the continuous improvement of bilateral practical cooperation.

The two sides jointly attended the inauguration ceremony of the cultural centers of the two countries and the campus of Beijing Language and Culture University in Kazakhstan, and believed that this will further promote mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples. The Chinese side also decided to open the second Luban workshop in Kazakhstan and hold the Chinese tourism year in Kazakhstan next year. The two sides will expand cooperation in such fields as media, think tanks, and film and television, and encourage more provinces, states and cities to establish friendly relations to consolidate the foundation of social and public support in the two countries.

The two sides will continue to work closely together in international affairs, strengthen coordination and cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the China-Central Asia mechanism and other multilateral organizations and frameworks, jointly act on the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and jointly safeguard the common interests of the two countries and other developing countries.

Xi Jinping stressed that China supports Kazakhstan's joining the BRICS cooperation mechanism, playing the role of a “middle power” on the international stage and making contributions to global governance. Both China and Kazakhstan are founding members of the SCO, and during Kazakhstan's rotating chairmanship, they have made important contributions to promoting regional cooperation and the development of the SCO. Xi expressed his belief that the upcoming Astana summit will be a complete success, lifting the development of the SCO to a new level.

Tokayev said that President Xi Jinping's visit is of special historical significance and will be a new starting point for promoting the development of China-Kazakhstan relations to a higher level. China is a friendly neighbor and a permanent comprehensive strategic partner of Kazakhstan. China-Kazakhstan relations have always been based on mutual respect and trust, and there are no unresolved issues between the two countries. In history, China has never harmed the interests of Kazakhstan, and the friendship between the two peoples is unshakable and has been passed down from generation to generation. China is Kazakhstan's largest trading partner and largest foreign investor, and Chinese enterprises' investment and cooperation in Kazakhstan have effectively promoted the country's national development. Stressing Kazakhstan's commitment to continuously strengthening friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with China, Tokayev said his country welcomes more Chinese companies to invest in Kazakhstan and will provide all necessary and favorable conditions for Chinese companies. Kazakhstan and China share similar positions on many international and regional issues, and both uphold the philosophy of peaceful diplomacy. Kazakhstan is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China within the framework of multilateral mechanisms such as the China-Central Asia Mechanism, the SCO and the UN, among others. Friendship is the common good of Kazakhstan and China, which is more precious than gold. Kazakhstan hopes to make joint efforts with China to achieve greater results in China-Kazakhstan relations during the “golden 30 years.”

Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among others, attended the event.