During his official visit to China,
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Ma Xingrui, Communist Party
Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in Urumqi. The Head
of State commended the results of Kazakhstan’s cooperation with Xinjiang. Thus,
XUAR accounts for more than 40 percent of the total trade between the countries.
At the same time, Kazakhstan’s trade turnover with Xinjiang has grown by almost
90 percent to $8.5 billion over the past six months alone. President Tokayev
also emphasized the importance of building the third railway crossing between
the countries, noting the possibility of launching this project in the near
future.
“In Kazakhstan’s mutual trade
with Xinjiang, the existing mechanisms of regional cooperation are of
particular importance. I think we can make significant progress, if these
mechanisms are properly used. Kazakhstan is ready to increase the supply of
various products to your region, including metallurgical, petrochemical,
engineering, and food products, as well as construction materials. The
potential for collaboration in the agri-food sector remains promising. Kazakhstan
could become a stable supplier of environmentally friendly agricultural
products to the Chinese market,” the President said.
In addition to the development of
trade and economic ties, the parties emphasized the significance of fostering cooperation
in the water sector and the use of transboundary rivers. During the
conversation, President Tokayev paid special attention to the promotion of
tourist exchanges. Ma Xingrui underscored the importance of implementing the
agreements reached during the talks between the Kazakh and Chinese leaders. He
also called President Tokayev’s visit to Xinjiang historic and assured that the
XUAR leadership will maintain contacts and expand cooperation with Kazakhstan.
“We will further deepen our trade
and economic cooperation, focusing on such areas as agriculture, cross-border
trade, and energy. We will establish interaction between our scientific
organizations, universities and enterprises, and encourage our joint ventures
to invest and open businesses in Kazakhstan and Xinjiang,” Ma Xingrui noted.
