Xi calls for boost to Sino-Kazakhstan ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) holds talks with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Hangzhou, capital city of East China's Zhejiang province, Sept 2, 2016. [Photo by Wu Zhiyi/China Daily]

He made the remarks while meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev during the sidelines of the G20 summit to be held on Sunday in Hangzhou. The two presidents witnessed the signing of a number of cooperative documents covering areas such as agriculture, inspection and quarantine, and economic policies.

Mentioning that the next year would mark the 25th anniversary of China-Kazakhstan diplomatic ties, Xi said that the two countries should deepen energy and resources cooperation, broaden people-to-people exchanges and strengthen cooperation in the security area.

The Chinese president called on the implementation of major cooperative projects, widened finance channels and boosts to trade volume.

Calling Nazarbayev an "old friend", Xi spoke highly of the constructive role that Kazakhstan has played in the preparatory works of this G20 summit.

Nazarbayev expressed gratitude toward China's invitation to attend the G20 summit as a guest country. He said that the two countries have traditional friendship and high political mutual trust.

Kazakhstan would like to enhance cooperation with China in areas including trade, agriculture, energy, petroleum processing, environment protection and security, Nazarbayev said.

He added that Kazakhstan is willing to connect the country's "Bright Road" new economic policies with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, China and Kazakhstan have reached 51 agreements on promoting the industrial production capacity, with the total investment amounting to $26.5 billion. The 12 projects already launched or to be launched, including the construction of light rails and subway expansion, take up $4 billion.

Over the past three years, China-Kazakhstan cooperation projects within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative have yielded early fruits, setting an example to other countries along the Belt and Road.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was brought up by President Xi in 2013, with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn