Tokayev: China is Kazakhstan’s neighbor by destiny, a close friend, and eternal strategic partner

©️ Akorda.kz

Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council in Beijing, where he presented the country’s investment potential, citing Akorda.

In his speech, the Head of State emphasized that “China is a neighbor given by destiny, a close friend, and Kazakhstan’s eternal strategic partner.”

Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan and China have built strong and dynamic business relations, grounded in a shared history, good-neighborliness, and mutual understanding. These ties, he stressed, continue to gain new substance year after year.

“As a global leader, China naturally serves as Kazakhstan’s key partner in many sectors, including trade. This has been made possible thanks to the initiatives of President Xi Jinping. Last year, bilateral trade reached a record 44 billion US dollars. But we do not intend to stop there. Together with our Chinese friends, we aim to significantly increase this figure in the next five years. We have the potential, and at the level of our heads of state, we share the political will and determination to strengthen cooperation,” said Tokayev.

The president also highlighted the steady growth of investment ties between the two countries.

“China has already invested 27 billion US dollars in our economy. This is an impressive result, and I am confident it will continue to grow. More than six thousand enterprises with Chinese capital successfully operate in Kazakhstan, including global giants such as CNPC, CITIC, Sinopec, and Huawei. Alongside large corporations, medium-sized businesses also play an important role,” he noted.

Tokayev underlined his close working relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, describing their recent talks as successful and fruitful, and praised Xi’s personal contribution to strengthening Kazakh-Chinese ties.

The Head of State expressed confidence that the Business Council meeting would contribute to the further expansion of ties between the business communities of both countries.

“Kazakhstan is developing dynamically. Our economy is the largest in Central Asia and continues to demonstrate steady annual growth. By the end of this year, GDP is expected to surpass 300 billion US dollars. This is the result of diversification, improving the investment climate, and comprehensive reforms—achievements made possible in part thanks to our cooperation with China. We ensure strong protection of investors’ rights and interests, have introduced a National Digital Investment Platform, and set up an investment headquarters that provides prompt support to businesses. In June, during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan, we signed an agreement on the promotion and mutual protection of investments. Our visa-free regime also makes business exchanges easier. Truly, our strategic partnership has enormous potential, and we must use it fully,” Tokayev stressed.

On September 2, the 8th meeting of the Kazakhstan-China Business Council began in Beijing with the participation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

On September 1, the Head of State addressed the SCO summit as well as the “SCO Plus” format. Later that day, Tokayev traveled to Beijing by high-speed train from Tianjin. In the Chinese capital, he was welcomed with an official ceremony.

In addition to taking part in the Kazakhstan-China Business Council meeting, Tokayev will also hold a series of meetings with the heads of major Chinese companies.