Astana, March 26th—Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, met here today with Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee. 

Tokayev asked Liu to convey his sincere greetings to President Xi Jinping. Tokayev said that I cherish very much the personal friendship established with President Xi Jinping. The China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, jointly established by the two leaders, is a relationship that constantly moves forward, upward and towards the future. The Kazakh side will take further measures to deepen cooperation with the Chinese side in such fields as economy, trade, energy, education, tourism, people-to-people and cultural exchanges as well as digital economy and artificial intelligence, and actively participate in the Belt and Road cooperation. The Kazakh side firmly supports the Chinese side on issues concerning Xinjiang, Xizang and Taiwan and firmly upholds the one-China principle. The Kazakh side fully supports all major global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping and is willing to work closely with the Chinese side in the international arena to jointly promote the sustainable development of multilateral mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. The Kazakh side will soon host the second China-Central Asia Summit and thanks the Chinese side for its support. The CPC is the core force leading the development of various causes in China, and the Kazakh side supports all political parties in Kazakhstan to carry out dialogue and cooperation with the CPC and deepen exchanges and mutual learning of experience in state governance and administration. The Kazakh side congratulated China on the successful convening of the “Two Sessions”, the annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). I personally pay close attention to the “Two Sessions” and believe that the planning and deployment adopted at the "Two Sessions" for China's future economic development will bring important opportunities for Kazakhstan's economic and social development and China-Kazakhstan cooperation.  

Liu conveyed President Xi Jinping's warm greetings to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He noted that under the strategic guidance and personal efforts of President Xi Jinping and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, China and Kazakhstan have maintained close exchanges at various levels and in various fields and enjoyed fruitful cooperation, benefiting the two peoples. The two heads of state decided to further consolidate the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, which will not only effectively safeguard the common strategic security and development interests of the two countries, but also make important contributions to world peace and stability. The Chinese side always regards Kazakhstan as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and as an important partner. The Chinese side firmly supports the Kazakh side in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and in safeguarding its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Chinese side is ready to work with the Kazakh side to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, deepen strategic mutual trust and firmly support each other. The Chinese side will expand cooperation in emerging areas such as clean energy, scientific and technological innovation, future industrial investment, digital economy and artificial intelligence, and constantly open up new prospects for the development of bilateral relations. 

Liu said, China and Kazakhstan share many common views on international and regional issues. China supports Kazakhstan in playing a greater role in the international and regional arena, congratulates the establishment of the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with Kazakhstan within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia to jointly implement the three major global initiatives, and maintain regional peace, stability and prosperity. China supports Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries in advancing the process of regional integration, strengthening solidarity and strategic independence, and jointly addressing global challenges. Inter-party exchanges have become an important channel for deepening political mutual trust, building consensus on development and enhancing people-to-people bonds. The CPC is willing to maintain close exchanges with major political parties in Kazakhstan, including the Amanat Party, to strengthen political dialogue and deepen exchanges and mutual learning of experience in state governance and administration. 

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.  

Erzhan Kazykhan, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for External Affairs, Murat Nurtleu, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Han Chunlin, Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan, and others attended the meeting.