Sagintayev meets Vice PM of Chinese State Council in Astana
The sides discussed the issues of interaction of the two countries in trade-economic, scientific-technical, financial, energy, cultural-humanitarian sectors, transit-transport and infrastructure interaction including planning of large joint projects and development of long-term programmes.
To date, Kazakhstan and China actively implement the Plan of Cooperation on Integration of Kazakhstan’s Nurly Zher national economic programme and China’s Silk Road Economic Belt initiative. The Plan was signed September 2, 2016 in Hangzhou, China, after the talks of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Chairman of PRC Xi Jinping.
The sides noted particularly the prospects of cooperation in agriculture, in promotion of export of Kazakhstani products to the Chinese markets, water relations as well as use and protection of trans-border rivers.
Commodity turnover between Kazakhstan and China in 2016 made $7.9bln; export from Kazakhstan to China made $4.2bln and import comprised $3.7bln.
The volume of export from Kazakhstan to China in physical terms rose by 20.4% without regard to oil and uranium.
China is one of the main investment partners of Kazakhstan. During the period from 2005 through February 1, 2017, the inflow of direct investments from China to Kazakhstan economy made $13.9bln. In the same period Kazakhstan invested $519.7bln in China.
As of February 1, 2017, there were 2,783 Kazakh-Chinese enterprises in Kazakhstan.
China became one of the first countries to confirm its participation in EXPO 2017 I Astana. Chinese pavilion is expected to be among the largest ones at the exhibition.
Year 2017 was declared the Year of Tourism of China in Kazakhstan.