ASTANA — China never sets any political conditions in its cooperation with Kazakhstan, said President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived on an official visit to Kazakhstan on June 16.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo credit: Akorda
According to Tokayev, the President of China is always a highly respected guest in Kazakhstan, and his visit is a clear testament to the sincere and unwavering friendship between the two countries, reported Akorda.
“If you carefully study our common history, you can see that relations between our countries have always been built on friendship and cooperation, without any conflicts or obstacles. They have always been distinguished by mutual understanding and goodwill. The Chinese people have never harmed the Kazakh people,” he said.
Tokayev said that bilateral relations have reached a new golden period, making a significant contribution to sustainable socio-economic development and well-being of the peoples of the two countries.
Tokayev highlighted the symbolic nature of the Chinese President’s visit on his birthday and wished him good health, prosperity and new achievements in state activities. He praised his leadership and China’s progress under his guidance, expressing confidence in China’s continued development and appreciated Xi’s warm attitude toward him and the people of Kazakhstan.
Tokayev called China a good neighbor and a time-tested reliable strategic partner of Kazakhstan.
“We support China’s peace-loving initiatives and highly appreciate the key role of your country in building a fair world order,” said Tokayev, noting the high level of interaction between the two countries within the framework of international and regional organizations.
Trade, cultural relations
China is Kazakhstan’s largest trade and economic partner. In 2024, the volume of bilateral trade reached a record $44 billion. Tokayev mentioned progress in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, including the opening of cultural centers, Luban Workshops, branches of Chinese universities and scientific and technical centers. He said that Kazakhstan will support the activities of Confucius centers. 2025 has been declared the Year of China Tourism in Kazakhstan, which will help strengthen mutual trust and deepen bilateral cooperation.
Nuclear power plants
Tokayev also focused on cooperation in nuclear energy, noting that Kazakhstan has decided to build several, at least two or three, nuclear power plants (NPP).
“We consider the Chinese company CNNC [China National Nuclear Corporation] as a reliable strategic partner in the NPP construction project. CNNC is known worldwide for its high competence, so it will certainly occupy a worthy niche in our market. In addition, Kazakhstan is a reliable supplier of natural uranium and nuclear fuel to China,” he said.
In turn, Xi expressed gratitude to Tokayev for the warm welcome.
“Relations between China and Kazakhstan have stood the test of a changing global situation and continue to develop dynamically. This became possible not only due to geographical proximity and centuries-old friendship, but also due to the natural need for joint development of our countries. (…) I am ready to work with you to steadily strengthen the friendship between China and Kazakhstan, hand in hand to advance our multifaceted cooperation so that Chinese-Kazakh relations make an even greater contribution to the development of the region and the world as a whole,” Xi said.
Kazakhstan and China sign 24 documents
Following the talks, both delegations signed 24 intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents covering cooperation in energy, aerospace, digitalization, customs regulation, agriculture, e-commerce, tourism, intellectual property, medicine, media, science and interregional relations.
Agreements on the promotion and mutual protection of investments, on technical and economic cooperation were signed at the intergovernmental level.
