Club of Friends of Kazakhstan in China Created in Beijing

During the meeting of the Subcommittee, the sides discussed the main areas of the Kazakhstan-China cooperation in security and defense, pertinent international and regional issues and a plan for further work. The meeting was followed by signing of a Protocol. During the consultations between the Foreign Ministries, the sides touched upon the alignment of the Nurly Zhol New Economic Policy with the Chinese initiative Silk Road Economic Belt, some aspects of cooperation within international organizations, in the consular area and others. The outcome of the visits of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan this May and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev to China in August 2015 was particularly highlighted. The Foreign Ministers agreed that regular ministerial consultations are an important mechanism contributing to the enhancement of the Kazakhstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership. During the visit, the Kazakh delegation held a meeting with Vice Chairman of China National Tourism Administration Li Shihong and member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC Ganibet Sabkeiuly. The discussion covered the holding of the Year of Chinese Tourism in Kazakhstan in 2017, attracting Chinese tourists to the EXPO-2017 International Specialized Exhibition and expansion of the legal framework for tourism cooperation. On the same day, the constituent meeting of the Club of Friends of Kazakhstan in China took place in Beijing, which included representatives of the business community, academia, prominent figures of culture and art of China, as well as the presentation of the book "We and You: Stories of China and Kazakhstan." The events that were organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the PRC and generated great interest in political and social circles of China were attended by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Cheng Guoping, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Tian Zengpei and the first Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Deguang.