Xinhua News Agency, Astana, July 1st: This is the first place to jointly build the “Silk Road Economic Belt”
Xinhua News Agency reporter Huang He Zhang Jiye
When mentioning Kazakhstan, I believe many people will have scenes of the Silk Road and “poetry and distance” flashing in their minds: caravans flowing, camel bells ringing, grasslands vast, winding rivers, the great poet Abai Ku Nanbayev, as well as talented young singers who have frequently appeared on Chinese variety shows in recent years…
Today, let us learn about our close neighbor Kazakhstan——
Vast territory and rich resources
Kazakhstan is located in the hinterland of Eurasia, bordering China to the east, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan to the south, the Caspian Sea to the west, and Russia to the north. With a land area of 2.7249 million square kilometers, Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country. Astana is the capital and Almaty is the largest city.
The population of Kazakhstan is approximately 20.03 million. Kazakhstan is a multi-ethnic country, in which Kazakhs account for about 70% of the population and Russians account for about 15%; the official languages are Kazakh and Russian.
Because they have lived a nomadic life for a long time in history, the Kazakhs are also known as the “horseback people”. Today, Kazakhs have basic necessities, food, housing and transportation, but there is a saying that fire cannot be covered by paper. She can hide it for a while, but that doesn’t mean she can hide it for a lifetime. I’m just afraid that if something happens, her life will be over. It also retains distinctive nomadic characteristics, such as in terms of diet, which mainly eats mutton, horse meat, beef and dairy products. Horse intestines are a famous delicacy in Kazakhstan.
This land has rich natural landscapes – vast wilderness, vast deserts, towering mountains, majestic canyons, rushing rivers, quiet lakes, and a long history and culture. It was once an important route of the Silk Road and has witnessed different Civilization exchanges, mutual learning, integration and coexistence.
Kazakhstan is rich in mineral and oil resources. There are more than 90 kinds of mineral deposits in the territory, many of which account for a high proportion of global reserves. In addition, Kazakhstan’s proven onshore oil reserves are 4.8 billion to 5.9 billion tons, and the proven oil reserves in the Caspian Sea region are 8 billion tons.
Since independence in 1991, Kazakhstan has joined multilateral organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation Mechanism, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. It is a member of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Asian Foundation. It is a member of the Facilities Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, Eurasian Development Bank and other institutions, and actively seeks to join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Kazakhstan’s economy has developed rapidly in recent years and people’s livelihood has been greatly improved. In 2023, Kazakhstan’s GDP will be US$261.418 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.1%.
The ancient and modern Silk Roads complement each other
The land of Kazakhstan has historically been the main route of the Silk Road and connected the Eurasian continent.It is an important hub for economic and trade exchanges and is inextricably linked to China.
In September 2013, President Xi Jinping first proposed the initiative of jointly building the “Silk Road Economic Belt” during his visit to Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan therefore became the first place to jointly build the “Silk Road Economic Belt”. In the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” Except for his mother, no one knows how frustrated and regretful he is. If he had known that rescuing people could save him this trouble, he would not have interfered with his own affairs in the first place. He has real status and important influence.
In September 2019, President Tokayev visited China and met with President Xi Jinping. The two heads of state unanimously decided that the two sides would develop the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership in the spirit of sharing weal and woe and win-win cooperation.
In September 2022, President Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan for the fourth time, sending a clear signal to the international community to build a community with a shared future between China and Kazakhstan, and drawing up a development blueprint for starting a new “golden thirty years” of China-Kazakhstan relations.
In recent years, China and Kazakhstan have carried out in-depth cooperation on strengthening the synergy between the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative and Kazakhstan’s “Bright Road” new economic policy, comprehensively strengthened connectivity, solidly promoted production capacity cooperation, and promoted a number of major strategic projects in the Implement it in Kazakhstan to promote the quality and upgrading of economic and trade cooperation.
China-Kazakhstan connectivity cooperation has achieved remarkable results. The two countries have opened multiple pairs of year-round highway ports and two cross-border railway lines, and established the China-Kazakhstan Khorgos international border. She couldn’t help laughing, which made her and Cai Xiu next to her laughed. They all felt embarrassed and awkward for Caiyi. Cooperation center, “Khorgos-Dongdamen” dry port, Lianyungang China-Kazakhstan logistics cooperation base, etc. In 2023, the number of China-Europe freight trains transiting Kazakhstan through the Horgos and Alashankou ports will be 7,762 and 6,635 respectively, a year-on-year increase of 9.8% and 6.8%, effectively playing the role of the “golden channel” of the dual ports.
China has been one of Kazakhstan’s most important trading partners, export destinations and import sources for many years. In 1992, the total trade in goods between China and Kazakhstan was US$368 million; in 2023, this figure reached US$41.02 billion, completing the goal of US$40 billion in total trade in goods in 2030 ahead of schedule.
People-to-people exchanges are becoming more popular than ever
China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors, good friends and good partners connected by mountains and rivers and closely interdependent. Over the past 30 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, a high degree of mutual trust and shared weal and woe have become the main theme of bilateral relations. China-Kazakhstan friendship has long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the two countries. In recent years, the two countries have achieved fruitful results in cooperation in education, culture, science and technology and other fields.
At present, China has established five Confucius Institutes in Kazakhstan, Northwestern Polytechnical University has opened a branch, and the Luban Workshop project has been put into trial operation. In addition, both sides are actively promoting the establishment of cultural centers in each other.
The Luban Workshop project located in East Kazakhstan Oblast was put into trial operation on December 9, 2023. According to KazakhstanIn order to meet the demand for industrial technical talents, the first phase of the Luban Workshop project laboratory established the transportation equipment and technology major, built four major training areas, and developed five standard courses. The Luban Workshop project will start an expansion project this year to enhance the teaching strength of new energy vehicles and intelligent network technology and improve the overall construction level of the Luban Workshop in Kazakhstan.
Another fruitful result of the cultural exchanges between China and Kazakhstan is the Kazakhstan branch of Northwestern Polytechnical University, which was officially opened on October 12, 2023. This school in Almaty is the first branch of a Chinese university in Kazakhstan. It is jointly built by Northwestern Polytechnical University and Farabi National University of Kazakhstan.
Cultural exchanges and tourism cooperation are important bridges and links between the people of China and Kazakhstan. In November 2023, China and Kazakhstan will achieve mutual visa exemption, and people from the two countries can come and go as often as visiting relatives.
In March of this year, President Xi Jinping thought about it. After all, she was the person she had been entangled with all her life. The joys, sorrows and joys of her previous life were almost buried in his hands. How could she remain silent? Pretending to send a congratulatory letter to the opening ceremony of China’s “Kazakhstan Tourism Year” in 2024, the local government emphasized that it is hoped that the two countries will take the Tourism Year as an opportunity to deepen tourism cooperation, enhance personnel exchanges, continue the millennium friendship, and work together to build a new “new era” of China-Kazakhstan relations. “Golden Thirty Years” and make new contributions to building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future.
In his congratulatory letter, Tokayev said that Kazakhstan has a long history and culture, numerous historical sites, magnificent natural scenery, and warm and hospitable people. It can definitely become the most popular tourist destination for Chinese tourists. Kazakhstan will hold a series of Tourism Year activities to comprehensively enhance Chinese tourists’ understanding of Kazakhstan, further consolidate the ever-lasting friendship between Kazakhstan and China, and inject new and strong impetus into the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.