Chinese President Xi Jinping published a signed article in the Kazakh newspaper Aikyn Gazeti on Wednesday under the title "May China-Kazakhstan Relationship Fly High Toward Our Shared Aspirations," ahead of his state visit to Kazakhstan. [Special coverage]
Following is the full text of the article:
May China-Kazakhstan Relationship Fly High Toward Our Shared Aspirations
By H.E. Xi Jinping
President of the People's Republic of China
In this lovely mid-summer month of June when all living things are flourishing, I will be traveling to Kazakhstan at the invitation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. This will be my third visit to your country. I will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) annual summit and the opening ceremony of Expo 2017 Astana. In this connection, I cannot but recall the fond memories of the magnificent Kazakh steppe, vibrant rivers, the phenomenal national development, and most of all, the warm-hearted and sincere Kazakh people. I very much look forward to returning to your beautiful land.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan. Over the past quarter of a century, our bilateral relations have withstood the test of time and the ever-changing international situation. Our two countries are not only good neighbors but also comprehensive strategic partners. We are now working together to build a community of shared interests and shared future. Our bilateral relations have moved forward by leaps and bounds and become stronger and closer than ever before.
- China-Kazakhstan political mutual trust has grown stronger. Our two countries respect each other's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and choice of development path. We have firmly supported each other on issues vital to our respective core interests, and worked in close coordination and collaboration on international and regional issues.
- China-Kazakhstan practical cooperation has deepened continuously. China ranks among Kazakhstan's top trading partners and investors. Chinese investment in Kazakhstan amounted to over 42.8 billion U.S. dollars. China's lending to Kazakhstan has exceeded 50 billion U.S. dollars on an accumulative basis. Our two-way trade of the first four months of 2017 surged by 45.6 percent. Kazakhstan's exports to China are on the rise. Kazakh wheat flour, vegetable oil, soybean, meat products and honey have made their way to the dinning table in more and more Chinese households. Our two countries have identified and agreed on 51 projects of industrial capacity cooperation which will help promote Kazakhstan's industrialization and create more jobs for the Kazakh people. Kazakhstan has exported 100 million tons of oil to China via the China-Kazakhstan crude oil pipeline, and 183 billion cubic meters of gas to my country through the natural gas pipelines. Our two countries are exploring opportunities for cooperation on new energy including nuclear, wind and photovoltaic power. There are over 50 flights between us every week. In 2016, more than 1,200 Europe-bound China Railway Express trains transited through Kazakhstan, and rail freight handled by our railways reached 8.2 million tons and the number of freight containers increased by more than two-fold. This February saw the first freight of Kazakh wheat exported to Southeast Asia via China.
- China-Kazakhstan people-to-people and cultural exchanges have grown closer. In 2016, nearly 500,000 mutual visits were made between our two countries, and 14,000 Kazakh students were studying in China. Five Confucius Institutes and seven Confucius Classrooms have been set up in Kazakhstan while four Kazakhstan Centers have been inaugurated in Chinese universities. The Kazakh singer Dimash Kudaibergen is now a household name in China. Popular Chinese films or TV series, such as A Bite of China or Family On the Go, have captivated more and more Kazakh viewers.
It was during my first visit to Kazakhstan back in 2013 that I proposed the initiative of the Silk Road Economic Belt, which started the process of Belt and Road cooperation. Over the past four years, the Belt and Road Initiative has gradually developed from a proposal to actions, and from a concept to practice. The initiative offers an open and inclusive platform of cooperation and has become a global public good well received by the international community.
The international situation is undergoing profound and complex changes. The world economy is slowly recovering amid deep-going readjustment. Global development remains a daunting challenge. In this context, the building of the Belt and Road brings us unprecedented historic opportunities. Last month, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was successfully held in Beijing. The countries represented at the forum agreed to work more closely together to synergize development strategies for greater complementarity and common development.
