Written by: Ms. Hafsa Akram Research Fellow, Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future (PRCCSF), Islamabad.
On 14 Sep 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan on his first overseas trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both heads of state signed and issued the Joint Statement Between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Kazakhstan on the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations, and announced that China and Kazakhstan will work toward the goal and vision of building a community with a shared future defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust.
Both countries also signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the areas of economy and trade, connectivity, finance, water conservancy, and media. President Xi Jinping was stored with the Order of the Golden Eagle awarded by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in recognition of his contribution to consolidating friendship between the two peoples and in promoting Kazakhstan-China extraordinary relations. President Xi Jinping underscored that China supports Central Asian countries in safeguarding political security and social stability and in enhancing cooperation for integration
Kazakhstan is the first and key country of the Silk Road Economic Belt, a kind of geo-economic gateway of China to the West. During the first state visit of President Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan on Sept 7, 2013, he delivered a speech at Nazarbayev University and formally launched an ambitious initiative to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt. BRI was openly supported by the then President Nursultan Nazarbayev and received the proactive response of various segments of Kazakh society.
Kazakhstan became one of the first states to engage in international cooperation as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. China-Kazakhstan diplomatic relations fully reflect the high degree of mutual trust between the two countries. China-Kazakhstan cooperation enjoys a solid foundation, huge potential, and broad prospects, BRI has become an important engine driving the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and Kazakhstan will continue to actively support and participate in the BRI.
As the energy sector has always been an important part of practical cooperation between China and Kazakhstan, the two sides agreed to take measures for the Kazakhstan session of the Central Asian Gas Pipeline, and continue to deepen cooperation in areas such as oil, natural gas, natural uranium, actively expand wind energy, photovoltaics and other new energy cooperation guarantee long-term safe and stable operation and supply of the China-Kazakhstan oil pipeline
Kazakhstan stands ready to work with China to implement the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative. Both countries enhance coordination and collaboration within a framework such as SCO jointly to safeguard security and stability in the region and promote common development.
