Kazakhstan

Note: This column mainly includes countries along the Belt and Road and countries that have signed cooperation agreements with China on Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2013, the comprehensive strategic partnership between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Kazakhstan continued to deepen.

The two countries had frequent high-level exchanges. From 6 to 8 September, President Xi Jinping paid his first state visit to Kazakhstan where he had talks with President Nursultan Nazarbayev and separate meetings with Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov and Speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament Nurlan Nigmatulin. The two heads of state attended the inaugural meeting of the China-Kazakhstan Entrepreneurs Committee and signed the Joint Declaration on Further Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Kazakhstan. During the visit, relevant departments and businesses of the two sides signed 16 documents on cooperation in such areas as energy, economy, trade, finance, customs and outer space. On 29 November, Premier Li Keqiang had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov of Kazakhstan on the sidelines of the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Tashkent. On 3 July, Zhao Leji, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, visited Kazakhstan where he talked with Bauyzhan Baibek, First Deputy Chairman of the Nur Otan People's Democratic Party, and met with Karim Masimov, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Office. On 18 July, General Fan Changlong, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, visited Kazakhstan where he met with Defense Minister Adilbek Dzhaksybekov and Prime Minister Akhmetov. From 17 to 20 August, Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Kazakhstan where he talked with Foreign Minister Erlan Edrissov and met with Prime Minister Akhmetov and Chief of Staff of the Presidential Office Masimov.

From 4 to 7 April, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev paid a state visit to China and attended the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2013. President Xi Jinping had talks with President Nazarbayev and the two sides exchanged views on further deepening China- Kazakhstan comprehensive strategic partnership and international and regional hotspot issues of shared interest. The two presidents attended the signing ceremony of such documents as the agreement on establishing the China-Kazakhstan Entrepreneurs Committee, the agreement in principle on expanding the China-Kazakhstan crude oil pipeline and the strategic cooperation agreement between China's CITIC group and Kazakhstan's Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund. From 14 to 17 October, Speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Nurlan Nigmatulin visited China where he met with President Xi Jinping and talked with NPC Chairman Zhang Dejiang.

The two countries saw remarkable results in their trade and economic cooperation and continued progress in cooperation in energy, non-resource and other sectors. Kazakhstan has become China's second largest trading partner in the Commonwealth of the Independent States only next to Russia, while China became the largest trading partner of Kazakhstan.

The two countries enjoyed fruitful people-to-people cooperation. China held various kinds of exhibitions, "My China Story" Writing Competition, "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Language Proficiency Competition and other activities in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan held the "Kazakhstan Culture Day", "Kazakhstan Film Festival" and other activities in China.

The two countries engaged in close international coordination. Kazakhstan consistently supported China's position on issues related to Taiwan, Tibet and combating the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM). The two countries enjoyed sound cooperation in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA), and other frameworks. Kazakhstan supported China in taking over the CICA chairmanship in 2014.

Source: fmprc.gov.cn