New pragmatic and promising chapter of China-Kazakhstan cooperation

Editor's note: The world is entering a new period of turbulence and change, with issues of concern emerging one after another worldwide. Against this backdrop, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation maintains its position as a comprehensive cooperation grouping which contributes to regional development, peace and stability. With this year's SCO summit to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3-4, our special series of articles, "Shanghai Spirit in a Chaotic World," looks at the SCO from different perspectives. In this third article of the series, Wang Haiyan, director of the Center for Kazakhstan Studies of East China Normal University and a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, focuses on China-Kazakhstan relations. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

As the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is set to take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, on July 3-4, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the summit and is paying a state visit to the country where the Silk Road Economic Belt was first announced. This visit marks his fifth trip to Kazakhstan, following previous visits in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2022.

For over 30 years since Kazakhstan's independence, China and Kazakhstan have transitioned from bilateral cooperation to broader multilateral engagements within the frameworks of the SCO and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Their mutual support and shared achievements have charted an extraordinary path of cooperation, setting a benchmark for pragmatic collaboration under the BRI.

Bilateral cooperation: A model of permanent comprehensive strategic partnership

China and Kazakhstan are exemplary in their pragmatic cooperation as friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners. When they established diplomatic relations, their bilateral trade volume was around $370 million in 1992. By 2023, this figure had surged to over $41 billion, a more than 100-fold increase, accounting for 28.3 percent of Kazakhstan's total trade volume. This achievement surpasses the $40 billion trade target for 2030 set by the leaders of both nations.

Between 2005 and 2023, China invested $25.3 billion in Kazakhstan, solidifying Kazakhstan's position as China's largest trading partner in Central Asia and one of its most important economic partners, bringing tangible benefits to both countries.

Multilateral cooperation: A paradigm of mechanism-driven comprehensive collaboration

Within the SCO framework, China and Kazakhstan, both founding members, have aligned their positions on international and regional issues, providing each other with steadfast mutual support. Together, they have played a constructive role in the development and expansion of the SCO, fostering cooperation in areas such as institutional building, counter-terrorism, combatting crime, regional security, economy, trade, agriculture, energy, science and technology, finance, culture, information, education, transportation, tourism, and environmental protection.

Both parties are committed to maintaining regional peace, security and stability, and promoting a new, democratic, just, and rational international political and economic order, thereby contributing to a more representative, democratic, just, and multipolar world order.

Innovation in cooperation: Leading the Belt and Road collaboration

Kazakhstan has been an active participant in the BRI since its inception, creatively proposing the integration of the Silk Road Economic Belt with its "Bright Road" economic policy. This integration offers a new path for collaborative development between China and BRI-participating countries and regions. The China-Kazakhstan production capacity cooperation has pioneered a new model of pragmatic collaboration under the BRI, providing a template for industrial upgrading and enhancing local employment and poverty alleviation.

The China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) logistics cooperation base has opened a maritime route to the Pacific for Kazakhstan, transforming it from a landlocked to a land-linked country, and expanding the geographical scope of international cooperation for Kazakhstan and other Central Asian nations, significantly altering the geopolitical and economic landscape of Eurasia. Together, China and Kazakhstan are building a digital Silk Road, a green Silk Road, and a Silk Road of health, setting an example for building a global community of shared future.

President Xi quotes a Chinese saying in a signed article published today in Kazakhstan media, "Success comes to those who share in one purpose. Triumph belongs to those who pull together in times of challenge."

As two friendly neighbors working "shoulder to shoulder," China and Kazakhstan are embarking on a new golden 30 years of bilateral cooperation, advancing into the next vibrant 20 years of the SCO from its youth to maturity, and opening another decade filled with opportunities and hope under the BRI. The future promises even deeper mutual trust and assistance, enhanced bilateral pragmatic cooperation and a more influential SCO.

Together, China and Kazakhstan will explore pressing global issues like world peace, regional security, financial cooperation and local partnerships. The two nations will jointly drive higher-quality development of the BRI, steering the world towards universal security, sustainable development, and mutual appreciation of diverse civilizations. The future of China-Kazakhstan cooperation is bright, promising mutual benefit and global influence.

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