Before the start of the event, the participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the servicemen who tragically died in Mangystau Region.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that the eternal comprehensive strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China has a solid historical foundation and is steadily developing in the spirit of good-neighborliness and mutual trust.
– The personal attention and steadfast support of my close friend, the highly respected Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Mr. Xi Jinping, have brought bilateral relations to an unprecedentedly high level. Kazakh-Chinese cooperation in the new “golden thirty years” has acquired a comprehensive character in all key areas. China is Kazakhstan’s main trading partner. By the end of last year, trade turnover had approached a record $50 billion. Our governments are actively working to increase mutual trade to $100 billion. Investment cooperation is also showing steady momentum. The People’s Republic of China has traditionally been among the largest investors in Kazakhstan’s economy, with total investments exceeding $29 billion. More than nine thousand enterprises with Chinese participation are successfully operating in Kazakhstan — almost every seventh foreign company registered in our country, the Head of State said.
The President said that partnership is being consistently strengthened in such areas as industry, digitalization, smart city development, satellite technologies, agriculture, healthcare, and education. According to him, ratification of the Agreement on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments became an important legal basis for expanding bilateral cooperation.
– A significant contribution to the expansion of business contacts is also being made by the visa-free regime established between our countries. It can be said with confidence that Kazakhstan currently has the most favorable conditions for attracting large-scale investments and implementing major projects. The main provisions of the Constitution, which entered into force on July 1 of this year, form a powerful legal foundation for strengthening the country’s investment potential. We attach fundamental importance to ensuring the stability of rules and the quality of state support for investment activity. For this purpose, the Committee for the Protection of Investors’ Rights has been established under the Prosecutor General’s Office. The Prosecutor General has been assigned the functions of investment ombudsman, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.
The Head of State believes that, amid the deep transformation of the global economy, Kazakhstan and China are capable of offering a modern and effective model of constructive cooperation based on mutual trust, openness, and shared long-term interests. Based on this, the speech outlined the priority areas for further mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries. First of all, the President focused on transport and logistics.
– Together with international partners, we are expanding railway capacity, widening highways and seaports, developing cargo aviation and border infrastructure. From Lianyungang to Aktau, a network of logistics hubs has been formed, linking the Chinese coast with the Caspian Sea. A new important link in the logistics network will be the Kazakh-Chinese terminal in Chengdu, where the opening of Kazakhstan’s Consulate General is planned. We consider the development of the Middle Corridor, which forms a modern configuration of transport links between Asia and Europe, a priority task, the President noted.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that the forum is attended by companies that are already actively involved in expanding the capacity of transit hubs. He said that, according to forecasts, by 2029 the number of container trains from China to Europe will increase to three thousand. This will strengthen Kazakhstan’s position as one of the most important transport hubs in global logistics chains.
– A number of joint initiatives are already taking concrete shape. In August this year, I launched the construction of the Aral-Caspian highway. The new route will multiply the capacity of the East-West direction. In the near future, the large-scale construction of the Moyynty–Kyzylzhar and Bakhty–Ayagoz railway lines will be completed. Transparency in freight transportation is ensured by the joint introduction of digital technologies within the pilot project “Smart Border.” In partnership with the Chinese corporation Minmetals Logistics, a logistics corridor is being created with unmanned transport technologies and digital solutions. This is a unique project for our country. We pay special attention to the development of multimodal transportation. The national air cargo carrier Alatau Air Cargo has begun operations. Major global cargo airlines, including Cathay Pacific Cargo and others, are entering the Kazakh market. Civil aviation also plays an equally important role. This year, flights have been opened on the Almaty–Xi’an, Almaty–Shanghai, Astana–Guangzhou, and Aktau–Urumqi routes. This week, the first direct passenger route connected the cities of Almaty and Chongqing, the Head of State said.
The President then pointed to the importance of industrial cooperation. He said that a portfolio of 260 major joint projects worth more than $62 billion has currently been formed in this area.
– With the participation of Chinese enterprises, the automotive cluster in Almaty is developing, silicon production is being created in Karaganda Region, and projects in metallurgy, petrochemicals, and energy storage systems are being implemented. The first projects to optimize and restore low-yield oil wells are being launched. In Aktobe Region, a special industrial zone is being created on a pilot basis with the Chinese company Jinyi Holding Group; it will operate in accordance with international standards. Our agreements in the agro-industrial complex are taking on concrete form. In particular, I would like to separately note the anchor projects of Lihua, Fufeng, and Dalian Hesheng Holdings to create a vertically integrated cotton-textile cluster and to deeply process corn and grain. This is a good basis for taking our partnership to a new level — from implementing individual investment projects to forming full-fledged production ecosystems with joint access to the markets of Central Asian countries, the Eurasian Economic Union, the South Caucasus, and Europe. In this regard, I propose launching the Kazakh-Chinese program Common History Destiny. Designed and Made in Both China And Kazakhstan. The Government needs to jointly form a pool of promising projects with Chinese partners and promptly begin their implementation, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed.
The Head of State identified cooperation in the mining and metallurgical complex as the next priority. According to him, Kazakhstan has significant reserves of uranium, copper, gold, coal, critical minerals, and rare earth metals.
Special attention in the speech was given to digitalization. The President emphasized that Kazakhstan is open to cooperation with all leading technological centers of the world.
– This year, Kazakhstan became one of the founders of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, thereby becoming a participant in a new international platform for technological interaction. This initiative belongs to PRC Chairman Xi Jinping. Kazakhstan is interested in technology transfer and in creating joint engineering and research centers. We pay great attention to training a new generation of specialists. We plan to open the first Kazakh-Chinese School of Artificial Intelligence in our capital. Alatau City is becoming a vivid embodiment of our fruitful technological partnership. This large-scale project is intended to become a powerful center of business activity between China, Central Asia, and Europe, the Head of State continued.
The President drew attention to the fact that the implementation of such initiatives requires an appropriate financial architecture. He told forum participants that the Astana International Financial Centre has been operating successfully in Kazakhstan for many years.
– We see great potential in developing cooperation between the AIFC and Hong Kong, one of the world’s leading financial centers. At the beginning of September this year, Samruk-Kazyna became the first among issuers from Central Asia and the SCO countries to enter China’s interbank market, issuing panda bonds worth more than 3 billion yuan ($450 million). Kazakhstan intends to make the entire investment cycle as short, transparent, and technologically advanced as possible. The signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of a Kazakh-Chinese Investment Fund under the national investment attraction company (Kazakh Invest) is another important step in this direction, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev believes.
In the Head of State’s view, the Kazakh-Chinese investment forum should become a permanent platform for direct interaction between the business communities of the two countries.
– I propose holding it annually in September under the name Almaty Investment Dialogue “Kazakhstan – China.” Today, a number of concrete agreements were reached. I am confident that these agreements will benefit not only Kazakhstan and China, but also the sustainable development of the entire Eurasian continent, the President proposed.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that Kazakhstan attaches special importance to strengthening eternal friendship with neighboring China and to the dynamic development of long-term mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields.
– For our country, this is one of the most important foreign policy goals. If we turn to our shared history, the Chinese people have never caused any harm to our people. For many years, the two peoples coexisted in true harmony, maintaining mutual respect and providing support. In today’s unstable and uncertain time, Kazakhstan and China, as reliable partners, must act together, shoulder to shoulder, to confront numerous challenges and threats. In the Chinese language there is such a meaningful proverb: 人心齐，泰山移 — “if people unite, they can move Mount Tai.” I am confident that Kazakhstan and China, as two friendly neighboring states, will be able to successfully accomplish any task together, the President concluded his speech.
Source: akorda.kz
