Xian: In times of "prosperity and adversity," China wants to further strengthen its ties with Kazakhstan. On Wednesday, President Xi Jinping told his Kazakh counterpart who was in China.
China will host a summit of Central Asian leaders in person for the first time this week, strengthening ties in Russia's backyard as Beijing's relations with the West deteriorate.
As Moscow directs its resources towards the conflict in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—all former Soviet Union members—are all looking for alternative sources of investment.
The first of the five Central Asian leaders to arrive in the northwest Chinese city of Xian for the summit was President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, a vast steppe country with abundant energy and agricultural resources.
China and Kazakhstan should "promote the construction of a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future featuring friendship from generation to generation, a high degree of mutual trust, together in prosperity and adversity," Xi said.
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"Your state visit to China shows the high level of ties that exist between our two nations and reaffirms the unbreakable bond with China," the statement reads.
According to Tokayev, Kazakhstan will increase its two-way trade with China from over $31 billion in 2022 to $40 billion annually by 2030.
He praised Xi for his ambitious Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, which has improved transport connectivity, and said, "Kazakhstan is interested in expanding the export of agricultural products to China."
"Kazakhstan is prepared to deliver legumes, premium frozen beef, and lamb that is free of environmental contaminants." Tokayev
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Since the two countries' diplomatic relations were established three decades ago, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, trade between China and the five countries of Central Asia has multiplied one hundred-fold. In 2022, investment between China and the five countries surpassed $70 billion, setting a new record.
Due to COVID-19, the first leaders' summit between China and Central Asia was conducted online.
Since Xian played a key role in the historic Silk Road trade route that once connected Central Asia, choosing the city as the location for the first in-person summit is a symbolic nod to the past
