According to the statement made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi stated that Tokayev’s visit once again revealed the strong ties between the two countries, and that China and Kazakhstan are “two countries at the critical stage of development and national revival”, and that an independent, stable and prosperous Kazakhstan He stated that it would be in the interest of both Kazakh and Chinese people.
The Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to revive East-West trade with transportation and infrastructure projects on China’s historical Silk Road route, was announced for the first time during Xi’s visit to Kazakhstan in 2013.
Expressing his belief that the China-Central Asia Summit will start a new era in the relations between the countries of the region, Xi underlined that they aim to make this mechanism an important platform that will deepen the cooperation between 6 countries.
Kazakhstan President Kasım Cömert Tokayev said that China is of special importance for his country and that the cooperation between the two countries is based on unshakable friendship and mutual support.
In addition, Tokayev suggested to Shi to actively use the potential of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route within the scope of diversifying transportation corridors between the two countries.
mutual visa exemption agreement
After the meeting, the two leaders signed a mutual visa exemption agreement to increase humanitarian interactions and cooperation between the two countries.
The leaders also signed cooperation documents covering economy, trade, energy, transportation, agriculture, communication infrastructure, culture and local relations.
Leaders Summit held for the first time
The China-Central Asia Summit, which brings together China and the 5 Central Asian Republics, will be held on May 18-19 in Xi’an, the center of the Shaanxi province of China, which is considered the starting point of the historical Silk Road.
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kasım Cömert Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadir Japarov, President of Tajikistan İmamali Rahman, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguli Berdimuhammedov and President of Uzbekistan Şevket Mirziyoyev attend the summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The China-Central Asia Summit will be the first meeting of the “C+C5” cooperation between Beijing and the Central Asian Republics at the level of heads of state. The first “C+C5” meeting at the level of foreign ministers was held in 2020. The foreign ministers then met in online meetings hosted by China in 2021 and Kazakhstan in 2022.
The fourth meeting of foreign ministers was held in Xi’an on April 27, and it was decided at the meeting that the group would hold its first leaders’ summit in this city in May.