Nazarbayev: China is Kazakhstan's key partner

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Kazakh-Chinese relations set the example of interstate relations, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said during the negotiations with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the Akorda presidential residence on Thursday.

At the onset of the meeting in the narrow format, President Nazarbayev noted it was the third time the leaders of the two nations met in 2017. That, in his words, illustrates the high level of cooperation between Kazakhstan and China.

He said, "Our meetings and trust-based dialogue affect the entire spectrum of relations between our governments and agencies. Kazakhstan-China relations are the example of interstate relations as we solve all issues that arise."

It was stressed that China has become Kazakhstan's key partner in economic, energy, transport and logistics sectors, in terms of FDI and in the number of JVs.

During the meeting, Nursultan Nazarbayev especially praised his Chinese colleague's One Road, One Belt initiative. "You put forward this initiative here [in Kazakhstan] and we actively supported the Silk Road route and the Nurly zhol program. Over these years Kazakhstan linked China, the Caspian Sea, the Khorgos Gateway and Almaty city by railway. As a result, we've solved the issue of bridging Kazakhstan and the entire Central Asia with China," Nazarbayev said.

The Kazakh President also touched upon the agenda of the SCO Summit. "It is crucial that we accept two big members to the SCO [India and Pakistan]," he said.

Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized that Kazakhstanis see China not only as a close neighbor, but also as an ally and partner.

Xi Jinping, in turn, said that this visit to Kazakhstan is of paramount importance. "This is my third visit to Kazakhstan. Our close and amicable contacts at all levels fully demonstrate the strategic character of Chinese-Kazakh relations," the Chinese President noted.

"Indeed, I proposed the One Belt, One Road initiative at the Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan for the first time. Three years later it can safely be said that the initiative was widely supported by the international community," Jinping said.

As a reminder, Xi Jinping is in Kazakhstan for the official visit to participate in the SCO Summit and the opening ceremony of the International specialized exhibition EXPO-2017.