Serik Zhumangarin: XUAR – key partner of Kazakhstan in China
Serik Zhumangarin, Vice Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, has met with Ma Xingrui, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, in Urumqi June 25, Kazinform News Agency reports.
As Ma Xingrui noted, the mutual visits of the leaders of XUAR and Kazakhstan within the past two years became the evidence of close cooperation and positive dynamics of the bilateral relations in all areas.
“The upcoming III Kazakhstan-China Interregional Cooperation Forum in Urumqi is a considerable result of our close friendly relations with which we have entered a new era of interaction. At the new stage of our relations, we are ready to promote the cooperation between Kazakhstan and Hong Kong through Xinjiang. We propose to consider cooperation with major companies from Hong Kong and Macao, which are ready to invest in Kazakhstan. These are large companies undergoing transformations now and interested in cooperation with Kazakhstan. We can also assist in the development of tourism. Many tourists arrive to XUAR from Hong Kong,” Ma Xingrui said.
In turn, Serik Zhumangarin pointed out intensive development of the bilateral relations having stressed that for Kazakhstan and XUAR, year 2023 became the year of mutual contracts and the year when China became Kazakhstan’s largest trade partner.
“XUAR is a key partner of Kazakhstan in China, which accounts for almost half of Kazakh-Chinese commodity turnover,” Serik Zhumangarin said. He also emphasized the importance of expanding the interregional cooperation.
In his words, transport and logistics, agriculture, investment cooperation, elimination of trade barriers and improvement of favorable trade regime, as well as tourism are the most promising areas
The meeting discussed the opportunities of broadening cooperation in tourism, railways development, construction of new border checkpoints, increasing agricultural products supply.
Serik Zhumangarin stated Kazakhstan’s readiness to ramp up beef exports to 500 thousand tons.
He also named the arising obstacles hindering the start of full-fledged export of livestock products, by-products and poultry meat to China.
The Kazakh Vice PM also proposed to sign a contract at the level of the Kazakh-Chinese governments on supply of up to 3 million tons of grain and oil seed crops.
The III Kazakhstan-China Interregional Cooperation Forum is a dialogue platform debating the relevant issues in trade-economic, transport, investment and cultural-humanitarian cooperation between the two countries’ regions.
From the Kazakh side, the forum is coordinated by the Ministry of Trade and Integration, and from the Chinese side – by the Ministry of Commerce.
Last year, the bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and China reached $31.5 billion having increased by 30.1%. Exports from Kazakhstan to China made $14.7 billion (+12.6%).
In January-April 2024, the bilateral commodity turnover made $9 billion which is 10.3% against the same period in 2023.
