The seventh meeting of the “Friends of Kazakhstan Club” took place in Beijing, where participants discussed the reforms being carried out in Kazakhstan and the prospects for further Kazakh-Chinese cooperation. Among the attendees were Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC Liu Bin (at the deputy-ministerial level), former Chinese ambassadors to Kazakhstan Yao Peisheng and Le Yucheng, as well as representatives of government agencies, research centers, and academic circles.
The meeting emphasized the particular importance of implementing the agreements reached during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Astana this July. Successful fulfillment of these agreements is expected to inject additional momentum into bilateral relations. Members of the “Friends of Kazakhstan” Club shared their views on new opportunities for strengthening cooperation in politics, trade, investment, and the humanitarian sphere.
In his speech, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to China Shakhrat Nuryshev provided a detailed overview of the political reforms initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and summarized the outcomes of bilateral cooperation over the past year. He highlighted that China remains one of Kazakhstan’s largest trading and investment partners: according to the General Administration of Customs of the PRC, in the first 11 months of this year, the trade turnover surpassed 40.1 billion US dollars (an increase of 8.7%), reaching a new record.
Meeting participants highly appreciated the transformations taking place in Kazakhstan within the framework of the “Fair Kazakhstan” concept. In turn, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PRC Liu Bin noted that regular high-level contacts foster dynamic development in all areas of cooperation, underscoring the importance of partnership in multilateral structures such as the UN, SCO, CICA, and the “Central Asia–China” format for ensuring regional security, stability, and shared development.
For reference: The “Friends of Kazakhstan Club” was established in China in 2015 on a voluntary basis, bringing together government figures, experts, businesspeople, and representatives of the scientific community.
Source: kz.china-embassy.gov.cn
