Xi Jinping meets Kazakh president

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Shanghai.

Tokayev is in China to attend the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.

Xi said that the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained strong momentum, demonstrating enormous potential for cooperation and broad prospects for future development.

He called on the two sides to strengthen the alignment of their development strategies and policies to continuously elevate practical cooperation.

Xi stressed the need to optimize the trade structure and foster new forms of business in cross-border e-commerce and trade in services. He also called for expanding cooperation in energy and mineral resources and accelerating the implementation of key projects.

Xi urged efforts to advance connectivity by increasing the number of direct flights and improving the facilitation of international road transport.

China stands ready to share technologies in areas such as the digital economy and artificial intelligence to support Kazakhstan's digital transformation, Xi added. 

Both sides should also work together to make the China-Kazakhstan Year of Cultural Exchange a success, and expand cooperation in education, science and technology, medical care, public health, sports and media, Xi said.

China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to implement the four global initiatives, and further coordinate and cooperate in multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the China-Central Asia mechanism, so as to jointly uphold international equity and justice, he said.

Tokayev said he was delighted to be in Shanghai, a city brimming with innovative vitality, to attend the World Artificial Intelligence Conference.

Kazakhstan views its relations with China as the top priority of its foreign policy, said Tokayev, noting that Kazakhstan looks forward to maintaining close high-level exchanges with China and strengthening practical cooperation in various areas, including trade, investment, transportation, energy, agriculture and the digital economy.

Kazakhstan is ready to maintain high-level coordination with China across multilateral platforms and actively cooperate on global AI governance, Tokayev said.

After the meeting, the two presidents witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation documents in the fields of economy and trade, transport, finance and media.