Xi hails strong ties with Kazakhstan

President Xi Jinping spoke highly on Wednesday of China-Kazakhstan friendship and cooperation as he met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the neighboring country's capital, Nur-Sultan, saying China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to ensure that they are strong supporters of each other's development and rejuvenation.

As this year marks the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan, Xi, who was making a state visit to the Central Asian nation, said the two countries have witnessed fruitful results in bilateral ties over the past years and taken the lead on a series of issues, from solving border issues to conducting international production capacity cooperation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport for a state visit to Kazakhstan, Sept 14, 2022. Xi was warmly welcomed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and a group of senior officials including Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mukhtar Tileuberdi and Nur-Sultan Mayor Altai Kulginov. [Photo/Xinhua]

China highly values developing its relations with Kazakhstan and firmly supports the reform measures it has taken to safeguard national stability and development, Xi said, adding that China will always be a friend and partner that Kazakhstan can trust and rely on.

Noting that China-Kazakhstan cooperation enjoys a solid foundation, huge potential and broad prospects, the Chinese president urged that both sides make good use of existing mechanisms to deepen strategic alignment and leverage their complementary advantages to take bilateral cooperation to a higher level and a larger scale.

He also called on the two countries to promote high-quality Belt and Road development, expand cooperation in such areas as trade, the economy and interconnectivity, and explore cooperation in new fields including big data, digital finance and green energy.

China stands ready to maintain close communication with Kazakhstan to appropriately deal with various kinds of new problems and challenges and oppose external interference in Central Asian countries' affairs, and jointly maintain regional peace and stability, Xi said.

Tokayev said that Xi's visit, the Chinese president's first foreign trip since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, fully demonstrated the two countries' high-level mutual trust and will surely become a new milestone in the history of Kazakhstan-China relations.

As next year marks the 10th anniversary of Xi's proposing the Belt and Road Initiative in Kazakhstan, Tokayev said his country will continue to support and participate in the joint building of the Belt and Road.

He also said that Kazakhstan hopes to further align its development strategies with China and deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields, including infrastructure, energy and tourism.

After their meeting, the two leaders signed a joint statement commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The two governments also signed a number of cooperative documents in areas such as finance and the media, and decided to set up consulates general in Xi'an and Aktobe.

When Xi arrived in Nur-Sultan on Wednesday afternoon, he was warmly welcomed by Tokayev and a group of senior officials. Tokayev also later saw Xi off at the airport.

Officials and experts said Xi's visit will further deepen the two nations' political mutual trust, broaden the scope of their all-around collaboration and usher in another "golden 30 years" for bilateral ties.