Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council, met with Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, in Dalian. Bektenov was in China to attend the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (Summer Davos Forum).

Li Qiang said that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to deepen and deliver fruitful outcomes, serving as an exemplary model of harmonious coexistence and mutual benefit among neighboring countries. At present, the international landscape is marked by intertwined changes and turbulence, with rising uncertainties and destabilizing factors. As reliable and dependable partners to each other, China and Kazakhstan should communicate and cooperate more closely. China stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to further deepen good-neighborly friendship, consolidate political mutual trust, boost mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly foster a more substantial and dynamic China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future to bring greater well-being to the two peoples.

Li Qiang pointed out that China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to expand and upgrade bilateral trade, consolidate and deepen cooperation in energy and mineral resources, comprehensively raise the level of connectivity, and expand cooperation in emerging sectors including artificial intelligence, smart cities, big data and the digital economy, injecting fresh impetus into the modernization drive of both countries. China welcomes Kazakhstan to leverage platforms such as the China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the China-Eurasia Expo to promote its domestic products. China also encourages more competitive Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in Kazakhstan, and hopes Kazakhstan will continue to offer a sound business environment and policy support. This year marks the Year of China-Kazakhstan Cultural Exchanges. China is ready to deepen exchanges and cooperation with Kazakhstan in culture, tourism, education, youth affairs and other fields to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. As China-Central Asia cooperation enjoys vigorous momentum, the two sides need to strengthen cooperation under frameworks including the China-Central Asia mechanism and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to jointly advance sustainable regional development.

Bektenov noted that Kazakhstan and China share profound traditional friendship, and bilateral relations are always built on mutual respect and mutual support. The heads of state of the two countries have provided strategic guidance and strong impetus for bilateral cooperation, steering Kazakhstan-China relations into a new "Golden 30 Years". Kazakhstan is ready to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, further intensify high-level exchanges, and continuously deepen cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, energy, agriculture, industry and other areas under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Kazakhstan will expand people-to-people exchanges and strive for more tangible achievements in developing the Kazakhstan-China permanent comprehensive strategic partnership. Kazakhstan will create a more enabling environment for Chinese enterprises investing in the country. Kazakhstan stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China on multilateral platforms such as the SCO and the China-Central Asia mechanism to safeguard regional peace, stability and development.

Wu Zhenlong attended the meeting.

Source: Shanghai Securities News