Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that he is ready to work with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to jointly build a more substantive and dynamic China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future and inject more positive energy into the development and stability of the region and beyond.

Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Tokayev at the presidential palace in Astana.

President Xi is on a state visit to Kazakhstan and will attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). 

Noting he is delighted to visit beautiful Kazakhstan, Xi said he sees the effects of the country's ever-growing momentum.

He said he trusts that under President Tokayev's leadership, the people of Kazakhstan will succeed in building a strong and prosperous New Kazakhstan.

A trustworthy neighbor and partner

Xi told Tokayev that China will always be a good neighbor and partner Kazakhstan can rely on and trust.

The Chinese side regards Kazakhstan as a priority in China's neighborhood diplomacy and an important partner for cooperation in Central Asia, Xi said.

China's will and determination to maintain and grow bilateral relations stand firm and will not be changed due to any single incident or transformation in the international situation, he said.

Xi said the Chinese side will continue to strengthen cooperation with Kazakhstan in traditional energy resources, such as natural gas, expand new energy cooperation, including photovoltaic and wind power, encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Kazakhstan, and help Kazakhstan convert its resource advantages into development capabilities to achieve green, low-carbon and sustainable development. 

Tokayev, for his part, said that the Kazakh side is willing to work with China to further explore the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy, minerals, new energy and connectivity.

He also called for promoting the development of relations between the two countries to new heights.

Tokayev expressed appreciation for China's firm support of Kazakhstan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, adding that his country firmly abides by the one-China principle and is a reliable friend and partner of China.

A lasting friendship

The friendly relations between China and Kazakhstan are rooted in the millennia-old ancient Silk Road, reinforced by 32 years of cooperation after the establishment of diplomatic relations, and have reached the high level of a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, Xi said.

Relations between China and Kazakhstan are defined by lasting friendship, a high degree of mutual trust and sharing weal and woe, he noted.

Xi reiterated that no matter how the international situation changes, China will remain steadfast in its commitment to the China-Kazakhstan friendship, in its resolve to advance cooperation across the board, in its determination to continue mutual support on issues concerning each other's core interests and in its confidence in both countries realizing their development goals. 

Tokayev said that Xi's state visit to Kazakhstan once again proves that both Kazakhstan and China attach great importance to and strongly hope to further enhance the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China.

Kazakhstan-China relations have entered a new "golden age," he said, adding that bilateral cooperation has achieved fruitful results in diverse areas and contributed to the well-being of the people of the two countries.

New goal to boost two-way trade

During their meeting, the two leaders set a new goal to double two-way trade at an early date.

Xi urged efforts to achieve this new goal, calling for raising the level of economic and trade cooperation, further expanding imports of Kazakhstan's high-quality commodities, and creating new growth points for cooperation in e-commerce, the digital economy and other areas.

The two sides should increase the scale of cooperation in production capacity and investment, tap into the potential for cooperation in science and technology innovation and expand cooperation in fields such as electric vehicles, new energy, cross-border e-commerce and satellite communications, Xi said.

He told Tokayev that China supports the "Year of Chinese Tourism" to be held in Kazakhstan next year and has decided to open a second Luban workshop in Kazakhstan.

Noting that the youth are the inheritors of the friendship between China and Kazakhstan, Xi urged the two sides to strengthen people-to-people exchanges, enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, especially the younger generation, and build a firm social and public opinion foundation for all-round cooperation between the two countries.

Tokayev vowed to make every effort to realize the new goal of doubling two-way trade, adding that his country is ready to work with China to strengthen cooperation in the fields of agriculture, economy and trade, new energy, cross-border e-commerce and electric vehicles, and accelerate the construction of the trans-Caspian Sea international transportation routes.

A closer SCO community with a shared future

Stressing that China will assume the rotating presidency of the SCO following Kazakhstan, Xi said on Wednesday that China stands ready to jointly build an even closer SCO community with a shared future with the SCO member states, including Kazakhstan.

He noted that China supports Kazakhstan in hosting the second China-Central Asia Summit next year and stands ready to work with relevant parties, including Kazakhstan, to improve and strengthen the China-Central Asia mechanism and promote China-Central Asia cooperation to achieve more new results. 

Tokayev said the Kazakh side highly appreciates China's adherence to peaceful diplomacy and the series of global initiatives put forward by President Xi. He said Kazakhstan also highly values China's important contribution to promoting world peace and development.

Kazakhstan will continue to actively participate in the construction of the China-Central Asia mechanism and closely coordinate with China within the SCO, the United Nations and other multilateral frameworks, he said.

(With input from Xinhua)