Beijing, Astana discuss prospects for growth, cooperation

China and Kazakhstan have pledged to jointly advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and further promote the two countries' permanent comprehensive strategic partnership.

The commitment was made in Beijing on Thursday when Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Murat Nurtleu, assistant to the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan for international investment and trade cooperation.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said bilateral ties have withstood various tests, demonstrating broad prospects for growth and immense potential for cooperation.

China, he noted, is ready to work with Kazakhstan to deepen their traditional friendship and expand cooperation in areas including energy, green minerals, and connectivity, while exploring new cooperation opportunities in emerging fields including nuclear energy and artificial intelligence.

Wang also commended Kazakhstan for being among the first to support China's Global Governance Initiative and said China stands ready to strengthen coordination with Kazakhstan within multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the China-Central Asia mechanism. He also expressed hope that Kazakhstan would join the International Organization for Mediation at an early date.

Nurtleu said the four major global initiatives proposed by China offer solutions to global challenges and will surely gain broad support worldwide.

He added that Astana stands ready to work closely with Beijing to implement the important consensuses reached by the two heads of state, deepen practical cooperation, and enhance people-to-people exchanges.