Xi's state visit to Kazakhstan a boost to common development

China-Kazakhstan relations embraced a new chapter in the charming season of autumn.

Photo shows the 100-MW Zhanatas wind farm near the city of Zhanatas in the Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan. (Photo courtesy of State Power Investment Corporation)

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Kazakhstan at the invitation of his Kazak counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Sept. 14.

During the visit, the two heads of state held talks, and signed and issued a joint statement on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, announcing that China and Kazakhstan will work for the goal and vision of building a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe.

The two presidents jointly charted a new blueprint for China-Kazakhstan all-round cooperation and pointed the direction for the development of bilateral relations, injecting new impetus into the common development of the two countries.

China-Kazakhstan relations have gone through an extraordinary journey and reaped important outcomes since the two countries established diplomatic ties 30 years ago.

The two countries have created many "firsts" in their relations, including the first in settling the boundary question, the first in laying cross-border oil and gas pipelines, the first in conducting international production capacity cooperation and the first in building a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership.

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an indispensable role in the leapfrog development of China-Kazakhstan relations.

Xi said in his talks with Tokayev that China will always be a trustworthy and reliable friend and partner of Kazakhstan. China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other's development and rejuvenation and helping each other achieve development and prosperity.

Tokayev noted Kazakhstan will continue to firmly uphold the one-China policy and be a good partner and good friend that China can always rely on under all circumstances.

The interaction between the two heads of state fully demonstrated the high degree of mutual trust between China and Kazakhstan.

Photo shows the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Chun)

Kazakhstan is where the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative was firstly proposed. Over the past nine years, Belt and Road cooperation between China and Kazakhstan has not only benefited the two peoples, but also set an example for the international society.

At the China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Base in the eastern Chinese port of Lianyungang, products from Kazakhstan, the world's largest landlocked country, set sail for the Pacific Ocean. The China-Europe freight trains have consolidated the role of Kazakhstan as a transport hub on the Eurasian continent. The Zhanatas wind farm in Zhambyl Region, the largest of its kind in Central Asia, has been put into operation, meeting the electricity demand of about a million households. Besides, Kazak commodities such as wheat flour and dairy products are very popular among Chinese consumers.

Xi stressed during the visit that it is important that the two sides work together for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and Tokayev said Kazakhstan will continue to actively support and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Relevant departments of the two countries have signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents, and the two countries have decided to set up consulates general in China's Xi'an and Aktobe in Kazakhstan respectively.

Eying on the future, China and Kazakhstan will expand their cooperation in economy and trade, production capacity, connectivity and COVID-19 fight, as well as that in big data, artificial intelligence, digital finance, cross-border e-commerce, green energy and green infrastructure, and foster a closer people-to-people bond. It is sure that the two sides will see increasing wellbeing of the two peoples, and their efforts will contribute to their development and national rejuvenation.

China-Kazakhstan relations have outgrown the bilateral dimension and are of important significance for regional and even world peace and stability.

Just as Xi pointed out, the unbreakable friendship between China and Kazakhstan will contribute to the growth of positive and progressive forces in the world and to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

To safeguard the long-term peace in the region, the two sides will enhance cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and China+Central Asia, and jointly support efforts for a successful SCO Samarkand Summit.

To build a more just and equitable global governance system, the two sides will also step up international coordination, exchange views timely on international governance, food security, energy security, industrial and supply chains stability, and regional hotspots, practice true multilateralism, and reject unilateralism and bloc confrontation.

The Kazak side highly agreed with the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative proposed by Xi, saying Kazakhstan stands ready to work with China to implement the two initiatives.

The constantly expanding coordination between China and Kazakhstan under multilateral context will inject positive energy into the world in a period of new turbulence and transformation.

At present, both China and Kazakhstan are at a critical stage of their respective development and rejuvenation. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will kick off soon. It is a vital meeting to be convened at the critical moment when China is marching toward the second centenary goal of building itself into a great modern socialist country in all respects. At the same time, the construction of a New Kazakhstan has been fully launched, and Kazakhstan is making strides toward the goal of becoming one of the world's top 30 most developed states.

As long as the two sides work together to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of states, the all-round cooperation between China and Kazakhstan will surely bring more benefits to the two peoples and China-Kazakhstan relations will surely embrace a brighter future.