Xinhua News Agency, Nur-Sultan, September 12. “Kazakhstan’s vast and magnificent grasslands, meandering rivers, ever-changing construction, and warm and honest people have left a deep impression on me.” In midsummer 2017, President Xi Jinping visited Kazakhstan in In a signed article published by the local media, he described his “impression of Kazakhstan” in this way. After five years, President Xi Jinping will once again set foot on this beautiful land.
This visit is especially symbolic at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan.
A friendly neighbor with a common border of more than 1,700 kilometers and a history of more than 2,000 years of exchanges, a unique and permanent comprehensive strategic partner… The reporter will take you into the “Great Prairie Country”, feel the vigorous vitality of China-Kazakhstan cooperation, and listen to all sectors of the Kazakh society for President Xi Jinping. Eagerly looking forward to this visit.
Nur-Sultan, located on the banks of the Ishim River, is one of the youngest capitals in the world and the most modern city in Central Asia. In September, it is a good time for autumn and fresh air.
The fountain in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, and the Bayterek Observation Tower in the distance.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Jinbo
City night view of Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Jinbo
Citizens walk on the streets of Nur-Sultan, and behind them is the famous “Khan’s Account” shopping center in Nur-Sultan.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Jinbo
In the “Bright Road” Street Garden, local citizens warmly expressed their expectations for the visit of the Chinese leader to the Xinhua News Agency reporter: “Welcome President Xi Jinping!” “Wish the visit a complete success!”… A group of passing Kazakhstan The teenagers took the initiative to step forward and said to the camera in unison: “Hello, President Xi Jinping! Warmly welcome you to Kazakhstan! The friendship between the people of Kazakhstan and China will last forever…”
On the streets of Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, a group of Kazakh teenagers wished “the friendship between the Kazakh and Chinese people will last forever”.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Kai
Yutong electric buses running through the streets, PetroChina’s “SINOOIL” gas stations all over the city, Lanzhou ramen restaurants and Urumqi hot pot restaurants that have become popular spots for check-in, hot-selling Chinese brand mobile phones in shopping malls, and local young people’s life essentials The few TikTok social software… Nur-Sultan’s “Chinese landscapes” are a vivid epitome of the flourishing Sino-Kazakh cooperation.
PetroChina’s “SINOOIL” gas station in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.Xinhua News Agency
In Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, a chef is stretching noodles at the Chinese Lanzhou-style ramen-style restaurant “Lanzhou” run by locals.Xinhua News Agency
Chinese-brand mobile phones in a shopping mall in Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Jinbo
Over the past 30 years, China-Kazakhstan relations have continuously achieved leapfrog development and become a model of good-neighborliness and friendship.
Looking at the positioning of the relationship, the relationship between the two countries has achieved a leap from a friendly relationship to a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership. Looking at the cooperation data, the bilateral trade volume has grown from US$368 million at the beginning of the establishment of diplomatic relations to US$25.25 billion in 2021, an increase of nearly 70 times. At present, China is Kazakhstan’s second largest trading partner country, the largest export destination country and the second largest import source country.
Bank of China on the streets of Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Jinbo
The strategic leadership of the head of state is the political advantage and distinctive feature of China-Kazakhstan relations. President Xi Jinping and President Tokayev have established a high degree of mutual trust and profound friendship.
In June 2019, Tokayev was elected President of Kazakhstan, and President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message. Three months later, Tokayev paid a state visit to China. Before leaving, the sinologist-president gave an interview to the Chinese media in fluent Chinese.
Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, President Xi Jinping and President Tokayev have maintained close communication through “cloud diplomacy”. In November 2021, President Tokayev was invited to attend the opening ceremony of the 4th China International Import Expo and delivered a video speech, calling the Expo “the ‘golden door’ of the Chinese market”.
Since the beginning of this year, the interaction between President Xi Jinping and President Tokayev has been particularly frequent. The video summit on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries in January, the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in February, and the high-level dialogue on global development in June… The two heads of state have conducted online and offline methods for many times. Meet.
On the morning of February 5, President Xi Jinping met at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, who was in China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Hong
The head of state’s diplomacy is leading the way, and China-Kazakhstan relations are moving towards a more stable, mature and tenacious direction. The joint construction of the “Belt and Road” is in full swing, and we are watching and helping each other in the darkest times of the epidemic, supporting each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests, and working closely within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization… China and Kazakhstan are at the forefront of building a community with a shared future for mankind. .
According to Borat Nulgaliyev, director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, President Xi Jinping’s visit is of “special significance” and will inject strong impetus into Kazakhstan-China cooperation in various fields. “Face-to-face diplomacy between the top leaders is very important, and the two sides can carefully, frankly, and pertinently assess the implementation of various consensuses and jointly plan the priority development direction of bilateral relations.”
In 9 years, “the fire of a single spark” formed the “trend of a prairie fire”
Kazakh international affairs expert Timur Shaymergenov still clearly remembers President Xi Jinping’s speech nine years ago. In that speech, President Xi Jinping proposed for the first time the initiative to jointly build the “Silk Road Economic Belt”.
Today, the “single spark” proposed by Kazakhstan has formed a “sparkling prairie” all over the world. Shaimelgunov was deeply touched: “The docking of the development strategies of Kazakhstan and China is accelerating. We have seen practical results and also see broad prospects.”
In an interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency, Shaymergnov repeatedly mentioned the China-Kazakhstan Lianyungang Logistics Cooperation Base, the first physical platform project of the “Belt and Road” international economic and trade cooperation. “Kazakhstan has gained direct access to the Pacific Ocean, which means new economic potential.”
The China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base in Lianyungang Port District, Jiangsu Province, taken on August 7, 2021 (drone photo).Xinhua News Agency
Over the past 9 years, China and Kazakhstan have jointly built the “Belt and Road” initiative and have achieved fruitful results. Kazakh flour, flaxseed and camel milk powder have entered thousands of households in China, more than 100 Kazakh companies have entered the Chinese e-commerce platform, the upgrading and reconstruction projects of the two major refineries in Atyrau and Shymkent have been successfully completed, and Zanatas Wind Power Changchun, Kapchagai Photovoltaic Power Station, and Turgusun Hydropower Station were successfully completed, the China-Europe freight train passing through Kazakhstan rose against the trend, the Nur-Sultan Ring Road opened to traffic ahead of schedule, and the first genetic testing laboratory in Central Asia was put into operation… From trade and investment to production capacity cooperation, from interconnection to emerging business formats, with high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” as the main line, China-Kazakhstan pragmatic cooperation has shown strong vitality and resilience.
More and more Kazakhs are participating in the “Belt and Road” cooperation, and they have also shared tangible results.
Galina Osipova is a gantry crane driver at the dry port of the “Khorgos-Dongdamen” Special Economic Zone in Kazakhstan. Under her skillful operation, the giant containers were steadily transferred from the standard gauge train to the wide gauge train.
“In recent years, the flow of goods in the dry port has become larger and larger, and more and more people come to work here.” Osipova is proud of her work at the dry port, and her salary is also quite satisfactory: “It just went up. After a little salary, it will increase in the future. This year, we have also been allocated housing.”
Fans of wind farms are photographed with drones on April 25, 2021 in Zanatas, Kazakhstan. Xinhua News Agency (Photo courtesy of China Power Construction Metropolitan Institute)
“Panda Man” and “I’m a foreigner, but not an outsider”
Because of President Xi Jinping’s remarks, Kazakh boys Ruslan and Ma Wenxuan have become household names as “celebrities”.
When visiting Kazakhstan in 2013, President Xi Jinping mentioned in his speech the story of Kazakh student Ruslan who donated blood for free. Because the rare blood type RH-negative donated by Ruslan is commonly known as “Panda Blood”, he is affectionately called “Panda Man” by Chinese netizens.
Today, “Panda Man” has become a global press officer of Hainan International Economic Development Bureau, recommending Hainan Free Trade Port to the world. In April of this year, Ruslan was fortunate to meet President Xi Jinping who was visiting Yangpu Port in Hainan. “President Xi praised me for being good at Chinese and being a ‘China Hand’, which made me feel honored,” recalled Ruslan.
On May 22, 2018, Ruslan donated blood at the Beijing Red Cross Blood Institute.Xinhua News Agency
Another young man from Kazakhstan, Ma Wenxuan, took the initiative to sign up as a community volunteer after the outbreak of the new crown in Shaanxi. In January this year, President Xi Jinping told Ma Wenxuan’s story of “I am a foreigner, but not an outsider” at the video summit marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the five Central Asian countries.
This summer, Ma Wenxuan graduated from Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine with a postgraduate degree and plans to return to his hometown of Zhambur, Kazakhstan at the end of September, to work in the acupuncture department of a hospital. He told Xinhua: “In Kazakhstan, traditional Chinese medicine has been recognized by more and more people and has become a new choice for treating pain.”
Ma Wenxuan was very happy to learn that President Xi Jinping was going to visit Kazakhstan: “I hope the relationship between China and Kazakhstan will be better in the future, and I hope that more Kazakhs can learn about Chinese medicine and feel it.”
On June 10, 2019, Kazakh students Ma Wenxuan (left) and Linglang from Shaanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine discussed their graduation thesis in acupuncture and massage in the classroom.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Yibo
A Kazakh proverb says: “Friendship is priceless”. Two young Kazakhs, one rooted in China and the other returned to the motherland, wrote the friendship story of mutual understanding and mutual integration between China and Kazakhstan in different ways.
In recent years, China-Kazakhstan people-to-people and cultural exchanges have continued to heat up, the number of exchange students between the two countries has continued to increase, and there have been more and more “little messengers” in cultural exchanges. , “Chinese fever” has become a common practice in the local area.
On December 16, 2019, Kazakh students are learning Chinese at the Confucius Institute at the Eurasian University in Nur-Sultan.Xinhua News Agency
Just two months ago, Kazakhstan decided to implement a 14-day visa exemption for Chinese citizens. Good neighbors, good friends and good partners who are connected by mountains and rivers often come and go, getting closer and closer.
In February this year, when President Xi Jinping met with President Tokayev, he proposed to jointly create another golden 30 years for the development of China-Kazakhstan relations with three “unswerving”: “Unswervingly defending China-Kazakhstan friendship, unswervingly deepening cooperation and unswervingly support each other.” China-Kazakhstan relations are getting better and better, the people of the two countries are getting closer and closer, and the development of China-Kazakhstan relations has seen another golden 30 years, which is even more promising.
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Chief planner: Lu Yansong
Director system: Yuan Bingzhong
Planning: Ni Siyi, Fan Weiguo, Li Zhongfa
Producer: Li Zhengyu Chu Guoqiang
Coordination: Yan Junyan, Wang Hui, Yu Wang Fengfeng, Sun Hao
Reporter: Hao Weiwei, Liu Kai, Zhang Jiye, Huadi, Zheng Xin, Kalijan Ospanoff (reporter)
Video: Liu Kai Zhang Jiye Chen Changhua Di Yuan Xinfang Qiu Xia Li Linyin
Editor: Qian Yongwen, Cheng Dayu, Wang Kewen
Editing: Wang Pei and Wang Yujue
Poster: Luyu Qian Yongwen
Co-produced by Xinhua News Agency’s International Department Asia-Europe Branch Shaanxi Branch Hainan Branch
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