Chinese premier meets Kazakh president

BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday in Beijing.

Li said that China and Kazakhstan enjoy a long history of friendship. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Kazakhstan relations have entered the fast lane.

He noted that a series of important consensus have been reached during the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tokayev. It will provide a fundamental basis for building the next "30 golden years" of bilateral relations.

China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, further increase mutual political support, continue the traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and move forward side by side on the road of their respective development and revitalization, Li said.

He said that China is ready to work with Kazakhstan in boosting the synergy of the Silk Road Economic Belt construction and Kazakhstan's Bright Road initiative, consolidate and expand traditional economic and trade cooperation in areas like agriculture, actively expand cooperation in emerging areas such as 5G communications, big data, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and cross-border e-commerce. China will also work with Kazakhstan to continue to enhance connectivity at border ports, cross-border railways, and land-sea multimodal transport.

Li also expressed China's commitment to further strengthening people-to-people exchanges with Kazakhstan in areas such as culture, tourism, education, youth, film and television, and at local levels, and continue to play an exemplary and leading role in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

Tokayev, who is in Beijing to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, described his country as a reliable friend and partner of China. He said that Kazakhstan appreciates China's remarkable achievements in building socialism with Chinese characteristics as well as China's important role in promoting stable global economic growth. He expressed Kazakhstan's firm support for China in safeguarding its core interests, as well as its willingness to support and actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, pledging to deepen cooperation with China in various sectors including energy, economy and trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, interconnection and intercommunication.