Contacts between Kazakhstan and China: What to expect from the upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin

More than 20 national leaders and heads of 10 international organizations will take part in the event. According to Han Xuyling, China is looking forward to this summit.

“First of all, because this is an important event organized by China, and President Xi Jinping will present new initiatives for the further development of the SCO. In addition, new plans may be developed both in the traditional areas for the SCO, including regional security and trade and economic cooperation, as well as in new areas, such as sustainable development, environmental protection, green transformation, and the introduction of innovations. And, of course, we must not forget that this year marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. The SCO countries can present a united front in improving the global governance system and maintaining peace on the planet,” he emphasized.

The chairmanship of the organization passed from Kazakhstan to China in July last year after the summit in Astana, which also hosted for the first time a meeting in the “SCO+” format.

“Since then, China has held more than a hundred events within the framework of the organization in various fields—from politics and defense to the cultural and humanitarian sphere—as well as continued to improve the mechanisms of the organization’s functioning and promote the ‘Shanghai Spirit,’ firmly defending the multilateral system,” the commentator noted.

Han Xuyling stressed that it was in Kazakhstan 12 years ago that President Xi Jinping first announced the initiative to jointly build the ‘Silk Road Economic Belt.’

“Kazakhstan has done much to align it with its national development strategy. Under the strategic leadership of the heads of state, contacts between China and Kazakhstan at all levels are becoming increasingly close. China remains Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner. Last year, the volume of bilateral trade exceeded 43.8 billion US dollars and reached a record level. Currently, two railway crossings operate between China and Kazakhstan, and construction of a third is underway,” he said.

A logistics base is also operating in Lianyungang, on the east coast of China, providing Kazakhstan with access to the sea and the Asia-Pacific market. Cooperation in the field of green energy is developing. As an exemplary project in this area, Xuyling named the Zhanatas Wind Power Plant.

In addition, he noted that active cooperation is also taking place in the field of education. The “Luban Workshops” play an important role in developing cooperation in professional training.

“As Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China Shakhrat Nuryshev recently reported, the Kazakh ‘Silk Road Workshop’ will soon be transformed into such a Luban Workshop, making Kazakhstan the first country in the world to host three Luban Workshops at once. The Tianjin summit may bring even more practical projects for cooperation and raise the level of interaction within the organization to a new stage,” the commentator concluded.

Earlier, it was reported that a package of documents would be signed following the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Bin announced at today’s briefing.