Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China
At the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, I will undertake a state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan and participate in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
As President of the People’s Republic of China, this marks my fifth visit to your remarkable country. The rich culture of Kazakhstan, its breathtaking landscapes, and the warm hospitality of its people always inspire deep admiration in me.
I have high expectations for the upcoming visit, which will allow me to witness and appreciate the progress and achievements of the New Kazakhstan. Furthermore, I look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the most pressing issues of our bilateral cooperation, identifying priority areas for Chinese-Kazakh relations, and advancing the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Over 2,000 years ago, Zhang Qian’s diplomatic mission to the West initiated the friendly ties between China and Central Asia. More than 80 years ago, in Almaty, the Chinese composer Xian Xinghai and his Kazakh colleague B. Baikadamov met, fostering a timeless brotherhood.
Thirty-two years ago, China was among the first to recognize Kazakhstan’s independence, and since then, our bilateral relations have flourished. This enduring friendship exemplifies how the development of our relations aligns with both historical trends and contemporary demands.
Eleven years ago, in Kazakhstan, I first announced the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, which was warmly embraced by your country. Since then, extensive cooperation between China and Kazakhstan has thrived under the “One Belt, One Road” framework. We now stand at a new stage in the development of our bilateral relations.
In the spirit of mutual support and solidarity, we have achieved an unprecedentedly high level of political mutual trust, made a leap in the development of China-Kazakhstan relations – from a comprehensive strategic partnership to an eternal comprehensive strategic partnership, and strive for a common future in the spirit of eternal friendship, deep mutual trust and solidarity, development and prosperity. Both sides always strongly support each other on issues affecting core interests and key concerns, and always respect each other in independently choosing the path of development according to national characteristics. In difficult moments, be it a flood, a pandemic or other trials, we always mutually extend a helping hand, standing back to back and giving each other the most reliable support. This indestructible, extremely valuable trust and sense of comradeship served as a key political guarantee of cooperation.
In the spirit of mutual benefit and joint development, we have achieved new and impressive results in practical cooperation. Last year, bilateral trade reached a record $41 billion. China occupies the position of Kazakhstan’s main trading partner and the largest importer of Kazakhstani goods. Strategically significant projects such as the Zhanatas Wind Power Plant and the Turgusun Hydroelectric Power Plant have been successfully put into operation, the modernization and reconstruction of the Shymkent Oil Refinery has been completed, the China-Kazakhstan oil and gas pipelines are operating on a safe and stable basis, a green corridor has been created for expedited customs clearance of all types of supplied agricultural products, all more and more high-quality and environmentally friendly agricultural products from Kazakhstan are reaching the Chinese table. The potential for cooperation in the field of renewable energy sources and transport infrastructure is constantly being revealed. A dry port was commissioned in the city of Xi’an. The Western Europe-Western China highway and China-Europe container trains operate uninterruptedly, which gives a powerful impetus to the development of the two countries.
In the spirit of mutual complementarity and enrichment, we have raised another boom in cultural and humanitarian ties. An agreement on the mutual establishment of cultural centers was signed. They made the first film “The Composer” together. Project activities in the cultural and humanitarian sphere began from scratch and brought solid results. Branches of Chinese universities in Kazakhstan, the Lu Ban Workshop, and the center of traditional Chinese medicine are evidence of this. A mutual visa-free regime allows people of the two countries to visit each other more often as relatives. The number of mutual trips last year was approximately 600 thousand, and in the first three months of this year it exceeded 200 thousand; a new record is already ahead.
Interregional cooperation is also gaining momentum; we are talking about establishing 26 pairs of sister cities. The ambassadors of Chinese-Kazakh friendship in the new era were ophthalmologist S. Kabylbekov, who enjoys great respect and authority among Chinese patients, owner and donor of the rare group of “panda blood” Ruslan Tulenov, as well as singer Dimash, popular in China.
Close interaction and joint response to challenges has brought us new real benefits in the international arena. China and Kazakhstan have similar positions on international and regional affairs, advocate the implementation of the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and strive to achieve world peace, global development and a fair world order. Together we created the “China – Central Asia” format, closely interact within the UN, SCO, CICA and other multilateral platforms, actively support each other’s constructive initiatives on international cooperation, and resolutely defend common strategic interests, security and development interests.
Promising Chinese-Kazakh cooperation inspires confidence in a wonderful future. I hope that the upcoming visit will allow President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and I to increase the good tradition of centuries-old friendship and comprehensive cooperation, to outline new plans for the further development of bilateral ties in the interests of bringing the Chinese-Kazakh eternal comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights.
The first is to strengthen traditional mutual support in the political sphere. Chinese wisdom says that you must keep every word to your friends. We will continue to build relations with our Kazakh friends on the basis of sincerity and trust, continue to deepen political mutual trust and strategic coordination, and increase mutual support on issues related to each other’s core interests and key concerns.
The Chinese side always supports Kazakhstan’s efforts to protect national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, to follow its own chosen path of development, to implement domestic and foreign policies to ensure the prosperity of the state, and opposes any interference by external forces in the internal affairs of Kazakhstan. Development and enhancement of four important principles, namely mutual respect, good neighborliness, mutual assistance and mutual benefit in the interests of maintaining sustainable dynamics in the development of bilateral relations.
Second, take full advantage of mutually beneficial cooperation. Each of our countries has its own set of resources. The economies of China and Kazakhstan complement each other in their structure and have great prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation. We will intensify the connection between the joint implementation of the One Belt and One Road initiative with the promotion of the economic course of a Fair Kazakhstan, and expand access for Kazakh goods to the giant Chinese market to jointly use the development opportunities of China. It is necessary to increase cooperation in such traditional areas as trade and economics, industry, investment , energy, mining and agriculture, increase the capacity of border crossings, contribute to improving the service of China-Europe freight trains and the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) in order to improve an extensive and highly efficient network of transport connectivity. It is also important to fully exploit the potential of cooperation in high-tech fields, including new energy sources, digital economy, artificial intelligence, cross-border e-commerce, aviation and space, cultivate high value-added value chains, and give additional impetus to cooperation between the two countries.
Third, strengthen the social basis of centuries-old friendship. Deepening friendship is the common desire and aspiration of our peoples. To preserve and develop it, it is necessary to conduct meaningful cultural and humanitarian exchanges in order to further deepen mutual understanding and bring the two peoples closer together. The role of the Lu Ban Workshop, the Confucius Institutes, and the branch of the Northwestern Polytechnic University of China in Kazakhstan should be revealed, and a worthy change of friendship between the two countries should be cultivated. We welcome the organization of joint training and joint research between universities, think tanks and research institutes of China and Kazakhstan, support the intensification of connections between different circles of the public, and encourage the creation of new twinning ties both at the regional level and between cities. It is important to steadily intensify cooperation in the fields of education, tourism, archaeology, art and media in order to deepen and expand cultural and humanitarian exchanges.
Fourth, adapt to accelerating changes unseen in a century. In the changing international environment for comprehensive mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Kazakhstan, we are faced with unprecedented threats and challenges, but at the same time it creates new chances and opportunities. As they say in China, crisis and opportunity are interconnected, because behind the crisis lies an opportunity, and moments of crisis can be transformed into opportunities. In the face of unprecedented changes, epochal and historical changes, the Chinese side is willing to work with the Kazakh side to create new opportunities in times of crisis and open up new prospects in times of change, resolutely stand guard over the UN-centric international system and world order based on international law, and implement a truly multi-cultural lateralism, oppose hegemony, power politics and bloc confrontation, promote an equal and orderly multipolarity of the world, public and inclusive economic globalization. Let us together add more positive energy and sustainability, and make greater Chinese-Kazakh contributions to ensuring world peace and stability.
In addition to the state visit, I will participate in the SCO summit in Astana. As part of its chairmanship, the Kazakh side did a lot of fruitful work, which helped increase the authority of our organization. The Chinese side highly appreciates this. I am confident that with joint efforts, the Astana summit will end on a positive note, unite the large SCO family and open a new page of cooperation.
As the ancient Chinese saying goes: “Victory lies in unity and solidarity,” and in Kazakhstan they say: “The fingers may be different, but the hand is the same; deeds may be different, but the goal is the same”. We are ready with our Kazakh partners, shoulder to shoulder, to pave the way to joint prosperity and revival of the nations, to new horizons of Chinese-Kazakh friendship.
Source: Kazpravda.kz
Photo: https: ulysmedia.kz
