Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kazakh counterpart, Nursultan Nazarbayev, vowed Thursday to accelerate the alignment of their countries' respective development policies and push bilateral ties to a higher level. [Special coverage]
During their talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana, the two presidents agreed to further integrate the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Kazakhstan's development strategy of "Nurly Zhol," or "Bright Path" in the Kazakh language.
The two countries will focus on aligning the New Eurasian Land Bridge and the construction of an economic corridor linking China, central Asia and west Asia, with the Kazakh strategy of building an international logistics corridor.
Meanwhile, they will join efforts in connecting the international production capacity cooperation with Kazakhstan's push for industrialization, sharing China's transportation advantages on land and by sea with the world's biggest landlocked country, and linking China's "digital Silk Road" initiative with the "digital Kazakhstan" strategy.
Xi and Nazarbayev also hailed the "great achievements" made in bilateral ties since China and Kazakhstan forged diplomatic relations 25 years ago and decided to push the healthy and stable development of their comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level, so as to better serve the two peoples.
The Chinese president arrived here Wednesday for a state visit to Kazakhstan and the 17th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
