KAZAKHSTAN

President Xi Jinping called on China and Kazakhstan to strengthen cooperation and achieve more results in jointly building the Belt and Road in order to better benefit their peoples, while meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Beijing on Tuesday.

Xi said that a healthy, stable and dynamic China-Kazakhstan relationship is conducive to the development and revitalization of the two countries, as well as to regional peace and stability.

Regardless of changes in the international situation, China and Kazakhstan should look out for and support each other, pass on the concept of good-neighborliness and friendship from generation to generation, and promote further development of the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

Xi said China is willing to continuously facilitate trade and investment with Kazakhstan, increase imports of high-quality and green agricultural products from Kazakhstan, expand green energy cooperation and strengthen connectivity with efforts such as enhancing the capacity, scale and efficiency of China-Europe freight trains.

He encouraged the two sides to strengthen cooperation, enhance strategic synergy between the Digital Silk Road and Digital Kazakhstan, and boost exchanges in digital technologies such as cross-border e-commerce and big data.

Xi also called for stronger people-to-people and cultural exchanges and closer cooperation at the local level, noting that a mutual visa exemption agreement between the two countries will take effect and that the Kazakhstan tourism year in China will be launched next year.

Tokayev said that his country has been firmly supporting and proactively participating in the Belt and Road Initiative since the day Xi first proposed the joint building of the Silk Road Economic Belt 10 years ago in Kazakhstan.

He said Kazakhstan will deepen practical cooperation and strengthen people-to-people exchanges with China to jointly build the next golden three decades of China-Kazakhstan relations.

Tokayev spoke highly of China's impartial stance and active role in international affairs, including its efforts to promote the settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

MO JINGXI