ALMATY – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said trade between Kazakhstan and China reached a record $49 billion as he met with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji in Astana on May 26 to discuss expanding the countries’ strategic partnership, reported the Akorda.
From L to R: Zhao Leji and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Photo credit: Akorda. During the talks, Tokayev noted that cumulative Chinese investment in Kazakhstan has surpassed $29 billion and highlighted the recent ratification of an agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments, which he said would help deepen bilateral economic cooperation.
“Friendship between our peoples has a strong historical foundation and continues to develop confidently in the spirit of good neighborliness and mutual trust,” Tokayev said. He emphasized that Kazakhstan and China have built a strong political foundation for cooperation both bilaterally and through international organizations, including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.
Zhao delivered greetings from Xi Jinping and said relations between the two countries had reached the level of an eternal comprehensive strategic partnership thanks to the leadership of both presidents. “In recent years, China-Kazakhstan relations have developed dynamically,” Zhao said, noting that Tokayev and Xi met twice last year in Astana and Tianjin, helping define key directions for future cooperation.
Zhao arrived in Kazakhstan at the invitation of Mazhilis Speaker Yerlan Koshanov. Earlier, Koshanov and Zhao discussed expanding parliamentary cooperation and strengthening legislative support for joint projects in investment, energy, logistics, trade and cultural exchange.
Koshanov described China as Kazakhstan’s “closest neighbor and important partner,” adding that bilateral relations had entered a new golden 30 years. The parties also discussed legislative support for cooperation in the fields of investment, energy, trade, logistics, and cultural and humanitarian relations.