Kazakhstani-Chinese mutual trade hits 30-year high – President Tokayev
«Today, China is one of the key trade partners of Kazakhstan. Last year, the mutual trade hit a 30-year high of over $31bn. At this rate, I believe the figure could rise to up to $35bn in the near future,» said Tokayev.
The Kazakh President suggested to bring the mutual trade to $40bn by 2030. «To this end, the range of mutual trade could be expanded. Kazakhstan is interested in expanding exports of agricultural products to China. The mutual agricultural trade stood at over $780mln last year alone,» said the Kazakh President.
Tokayev pointed to the effective cooperation of the countries within the large-scale initiative Belt and Road, saying that the construction of a logistics center in Xi'an’s dry port to be given a start online tomorrow will be another growth point for the transport and logistics ties of the countries.
The Kazakh President suggested to actively use the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. He also noted the growing interest of the countries in strengthening cooperation in education and science, with Kazakhstan seeking to open a branch of one of the major Chinese universities.
On May 17, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in China for a state visit. The President is expected to hold talks with Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping, meet with heads of major Chinese companies, as well as will take part in the ‘Central Asia-China’ Summit.