China and Kazakhstan work together to build the "the Belt and Road" and achieve fruitful results

China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors, good friends, good partners, and good brothers connected by mountains and rivers. During the visit of Kazakh President Tokayev to China in 2019, the two countries unanimously decided to develop a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kazakhstan. The strategic leadership of the head of state is the guarantee and advantage for the sustained high-level development of China Kazakhstan relations, laying a solid foundation for the development of bilateral relations.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past 10 years, China and Kazakhstan have successfully carried out cooperation in areas such as connectivity, production capacity, economy and trade, and humanities, achieving tangible and significant results.

The two countries are continuously strengthening their infrastructure "hard connectivity". China and Kazakhstan have made great efforts to develop road and railway transit transport and international land sea multimodal transport. China Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base, "Khorgos East Gate" dry port, "Western China Western Europe" international transport corridor and other major infrastructure projects have ensured the smooth flow of goods between Eurasia, and also provided Kazakhstan's products with a sea port for sailing. In 2022, the railway freight volume of China and Kazakhstan reached 23 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 20%. The continuous development of China Europe trains passing through Kazakhstan has further explored the potential of transit transportation in Kazakhstan.

Under the framework of the "the Belt and Road", China and Kazakhstan have actively carried out production capacity and investment cooperation, and have formed a list of projects covering 52 projects with a total amount of more than 21.2 billion dollars, and continue to expand to green, digital, science and technology and other fields. The modernization renovation project of Shymkent Refinery and the Atyrau State Petrochemical Complex project have been completed and put into operation, improving the industrial level of Kazakhstan. The new energy projects such as Zanatas Wind Farm, Turgusun Hydropower Station, and Almaty Photovoltaic Power Station, which are being constructed with the participation of Chinese enterprises, have effectively assisted the local transformation towards low-carbon. According to data from China Power Kazakhstan Energy Investment Co., Ltd., as of the end of 2022, the total installed capacity of renewable energy projects constructed by Chinese enterprises in Kazakhstan has exceeded 1000 megawatts.

China and Kazakhstan continue to strengthen cooperation in inspection and quarantine, creating favorable conditions for agricultural product access. China and Kazakhstan have continuously strengthened policy communication and standard docking in the agricultural field, promoting deeper and more practical agricultural cooperation. In 2022, the trade volume of agricultural products between China and Kazakhstan reached 930 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 61.3%. In addition to agricultural product trade, agricultural technology cooperation between the two countries is developing rapidly, and both sides are orderly promoting a number of joint laboratory construction and joint breeding research projects.

The economic structure between China and Kazakhstan is highly complementary, and in recent years, China has steadily ranked as Kazakhstan's second largest trading partner, first largest export destination, and second largest source of imports. According to the statistics of the General Administration of Customs of China, the total amount of goods trade between China and Kazakhstan in 2022 was 31.17 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 23.6%. Ha has become the second country to open a national pavilion on the Alibaba e-commerce platform, with over 200 Kazakh enterprises settling on the platform.

China and Kazakhstan strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation through the "heart to heart connection" as a link. The five Confucius Institutes established by China in Kazakhstan have been operating smoothly, and the Luban Workshop is also about to be established in Kazakhstan. Four Chinese universities have established Kazakhstan Research Centers, and two offer Kazakh language majors. The touching story of Chinese musician Xian Xinghai and Kazakh musician Baikadamov has been brought to the screen. Excellent Chinese film and television works such as "China on the Tongue" have entered countless households in Kazakhstan. The relevant departments of both countries continuously promote the facilitation of personnel exchanges and cultural exchanges between both sides.

There is a saying in Kazakhstan: "Friendship is an inexhaustible wealth." The first China China Asia Summit was held at the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, and on the path of building a community of shared future with generations of friendship, high mutual trust, and solidarity, China and Kazakhstan will surely work together to write a more brilliant new chapter.