Chinese president vows to cooperate with Kazakhstan on Asia security, development

NOORDWIJK, the Netherlands, March 23 -- China and Kazakhstan should work closely together to build a new concept of security in Asia, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Sunday during a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev is scheduled to visit China this May to attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

China and Kazakhstan, as members of the CICA, should make joint efforts to build a new framework of security and cooperation in Asia, Xi said.

The Chinese president also said he is looking forward to exchanging in-depth views on bilateral ties and major international and regional issues with the Kazakh leader during his upcoming visit to China, and work with the Kazakh side to promote cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, energy and agriculture.

China is willing to work together with Kazakhstan to ensure Nazarbayev's visit achieve more pragmatic results, Xi said.

Speaking highly of China's preparations for the CICA summit, Nazarbayev said his country is a sincere and reliable partner of China, and wishes China's comprehensive reform a success.

Kazakhstan is willing to enhance cooperation with China in various fields so as to assist China's development, he said.

The two leaders also agreed that the Ukraine crisis should be settled through dialogue and negotiation in the framework of law and order.

Xi arrived in the Netherlands Saturday for a state visit, the first one ever made by a Chinese president to the western European country since the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1972. He will attend the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in The Hague on Monday and Tuesday.