China, Kazakhstan pledge to deepen pragmatic cooperation

Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong said China is willing to deepen practical cooperation with Kazakhstan during meetings with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin.

Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited Kazakhstan from Wednesday to Friday. During his visit, he exchanged in-depth and comprehensive views on bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields with the Kazakh side. 

Liu said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has entered a "golden period" of rapid development and cooperation in various fields has reached an unprecedented high level.

Liu stressed that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to continue to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, comprehensively advance the alignment of national development strategies and continuously deepen practical cooperation.

Meanwhile, China is committed to enhancing coordination and cooperation with Kazakhstan within the multilateral framework, including the China-Central Asia mechanism, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the United Nations, and jointly building an even closer China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future, he added.

The Kazakh leaders spoke highly of the fruitful development of bilateral ties. They emphasized that their country firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to work with China to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, comprehensively deepen practical cooperation, continuously expand cultural and people-to-people exchanges, resolutely fight against the "three forces" and promote new development of Kazakhstan-China relations.

During the visit, Liu also met with the mayor of Almaty and the governors of four Kazakh oblasts adjacent to Xinjiang, reaching consensus on promoting local cooperation between the two countries.

(With input from Xinhua)