At the invitation of the Chinese side, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Murat Nurtleu paid an official visit to the People’s Republic of China.
During the visit, the first meeting of the Strategic Dialogue at the level of foreign ministers of the two countries was held, the relevant memorandum on the establishment of which was signed by the parties on the same day.
Wide range of issues of political, trade, economic, investment and cultural cooperation were discussed during the talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The parties reviewed the implementation of agreements reached at the highest and high levels, and highly appreciated the dynamics of Kazakh-Chinese relations development across the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation.
“We attach great importance to the development of relations with Beijing. We have established a comprehensive strategic partnership between us, which is being strengthened through personal friendly contacts of our leaders,” stated Minister Nurtleu. According to the results of last year, China became the largest trading partner of Kazakhstan, and we have reached record levels, added the Kazakh Foreign Minister.
The bilateral trade turnover in 2023 increased by more than 30%, amounting to 41 billion US dollars. In this context, special emphasis was placed on the further promotion of joint economic, transport and logistics projects, in particular within the framework of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.
“Kazakhstan is our authoritative strategic partner in the region. China is ready to fully strengthen and enhance cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries,” said Chinese Foreign Minister.
The interlocutors noted with satisfaction the significant intensification of interregional cooperation, interdepartmental interaction and human exchanges. An important impetus to this was given by the mutual visa-free regime, which came into force in November last year.
The foreign ministers discussed the schedule of upcoming bilateral visits and events at various levels this year, and compared notes on topical issues on the international agenda.
On the same day, Kazakh Foreign Minister Nurtleu held talks with Deputy Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Ding Xuexiang. The parties paid special attention to joint efforts to enhance trade and economic ties. The need for new approaches in the joint development of industrial, investment and energy cooperation, including an increase in Kazakhstan’s non-primary exports to China was emphasized.
In addition, as the main guest from Kazakhstan, Minister Nurtleu took part in the official opening ceremony of the Year of Kazakhstan's Tourism in China. In his speech, he read out a message from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the participants of the event.
