Ambassador Zhang Xiao gave an interview to the Kazakh media on the successful holding of the China-Central Asia Summit and Kazakh President Tokayev's successful state visit to China

Recently, Zhang Xiao, the Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan, accepted the successful holding of the China-Central Asia Summit and the successful state visit of Kazakh President Tokayev to Kazakhstan "Industry Daily", "Kazakhstan Daily", "Today Kazakhstan" website, Baq , "Silk Road Today" and other mainstream media in Kazakhstan. The full text is as follows:

From May 18th to 19th, the China-Central Asia Summit was successfully held in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, which attracted widespread attention from the international community. What do you think are the important outcomes of this summit? What is the significance?

A: Under the chairmanship of President Xi Jinping, the China-Central Asia Summit was successfully held in the ancient capital of Xi'an on May 18-19. This summit is the first large-scale multilateral event hosted by China after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and this year's National Two Sessions of China. The first summit is an important milestone in the history of China-Central Asia relations.

At the summit, President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech, putting forward "four propositions" on what kind of Central Asia to build (the world needs a stable Central Asia, the world needs a prosperous Central Asia, the world needs a harmonious Central Asia, and the world needs A connected Central Asia.), put forward the "Four Persistences" on how to build a China-Central Asia Community of Shared Future The cooperation put forward "eight-point suggestions" (one is to strengthen mechanism construction, the other is to expand economic and trade relations, the third is to deepen interconnection, the fourth is to expand energy cooperation, the fifth is to promote green innovation, the sixth is to enhance development capabilities, the seventh is to strengthen dialogue among civilizations, The eighth is to maintain regional peace.). This is the first time since the new era that the top leader of China has fully, centrally and systematically explained the foreign policy towards Central Asia to the international community. The Community of Destiny provides fundamental guidelines for following and action.

During the summit, China and the five Central Asian countries reached 7 bilateral and multilateral documents including the "China-Central Asia Summit Xi'an Declaration" and "China-Central Asia Summit Outcome List", and signed more than 100 cooperation agreements in various fields. The richness of the results, the reality of the content, and the great influence have never been seen before.

First, it provides new impetus for deepening China-Central Asia relations. The "Xi'an Declaration" announced that they will join hands to build a closer China-Central Asia community of destiny, which further demonstrates the will and determination of the six countries to cooperate at a higher level, with higher standards and with higher quality.

The second is to build a new platform for expanding exchanges and cooperation in various fields. The parties agreed to take this summit as an opportunity to formally establish the China-Central Asia Heads of State Meeting Mechanism, which will be held every two years between China and Central Asian countries in turn. The next summit will be held in Kazakhstan in 2025. All parties have formally established ministerial-level meeting mechanisms for diplomacy, economy and trade, and customs, established platforms such as businessmen committees, think tank forums, and health industry alliances, and agreed to speed up the establishment of meetings in fields such as industry and investment, transportation, agriculture, emergency management, education, and political parties. and dialogue mechanism, and set up a permanent secretariat in China. The establishment of new mechanisms and new platforms will surely provide a more effective guarantee for expanding China-Central Asia exchanges at all levels, deepening all-round cooperation and expanding broader space.

The third is to open up new prospects for deepening mutual benefit and win-win results. President Xi Jinping announced a series of major cooperation initiatives at the summit, including expanding economic and trade cooperation, upgrading investment agreements, comprehensively increasing the volume of cross-border transport, supporting the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor, establishing a China-Central Asia energy development partnership, and promoting Construction of Luban Workshop and Traditional Medicine Center in Central Asia, etc. In order to help Central Asian countries develop, President Xi Jinping also announced a total of 26 billion yuan in financing support and assistance to Central Asian countries. Meanwhile, China and Kazakhstan signed a mutual visa exemption agreement, and Kazakhstan became the first Central Asian country to mutually exempt visas with China. The People's Culture and Art Year of China and Central Asian Countries was also officially launched.

Fourth, it has contributed new strengths to safeguarding international fairness and justice. China and the Central Asian countries agreed to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, firmly defend multilateralism, resist unilateralism, hegemonism and power politics, promote the democratization of international relations, and push the international order and global governance system towards a more just and reasonable direction develop. These positions and propositions will inject more certainty into a world full of uncertainties, and make "China-Central Asia Contributions" to maintaining world peace and security and promoting the progress of human civilization.

Fifth, it has set a new example for developing countries to strive for unity and self-improvement. President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that the sovereignty, security, independence and territorial integrity of the Central Asian countries must be maintained, the development path independently chosen by the Central Asian people must be respected, and the Central Asian region's efforts to commit to peace, harmony and tranquility must be supported. President Xi Jinping's words resonated strongly with the people of Central Asian countries. As representatives of forces for peace and justice, China and Central Asian countries understand each other and move forward hand in hand, which will surely inject more positive energy and stability into the complex and turbulent world.

As the host, China has made thoughtful arrangements for the summit, and the way to treat guests with sincerity is the way to live in good-neighborliness. President Xi Jinping and his wife held a welcome ceremony imitating the Tang Dynasty for the heads of state and his wife of the five countries in the Tang Paradise in Xi'an. The form is novel and unique, with a strong historical and cultural atmosphere. The heads of state of the six countries planted pomegranate trees together, symbolizing that the six countries are closely united like pomegranate seeds. President Xi Jinping also celebrated the birthday of President Tokayev of Kazakhstan, which coincides with his birthday, fully reflecting the profound friendship between the two heads of state.

The successful convening of the first China-Central Asia Summit marked the official establishment of the China-Central Asia Heads of State Meeting Mechanism, which was a milestone in the history of the development of relations between China and Central Asian countries. It drew a new blueprint for China-Central Asia relations and ushered in a new era of bilateral cooperation , to inject new impetus into the construction of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future, and to make new contributions to jointly promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

We believe that as long as China and Central Asian countries communicate closely and cooperate sincerely, the road of good-neighborly friendship and win-win cooperation among the six countries will surely become wider and wider.

From May 17 to 19, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan went to China to attend the China-Central Asia Summit and made a successful state visit to China. What are the results of the visit? What impact will it have on the development of bilateral relations?

A: From May 17 to 19, President Tokayev was invited to China to attend the China-Central Asia Summit and pay a state visit to China, which was a complete success.

President Xi Jinping held talks with President Tokayev in a cordial, friendly and pragmatic atmosphere in Xi'an. President Xi Jinping extended birthday wishes to President Tokayev, and said that President Tokayev's state visit to China on a special day demonstrates the high level of bilateral relations. The two sides spoke highly of the achievements in the development of China-Kazakhstan relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations 31 years ago, and expressed their willingness to further enhance the level of China-Kazakhstan relations, deepen cooperation in various fields, and exchange in-depth views on international and regional issues of common concern. The two heads of state signed the "China-Kazakhstan Joint Statement", witnessed the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of economy, trade, energy, transportation, agriculture, interconnection, humanities, and localities, and announced that 2024 will be China's Kazakhstan Tourism Year. Tokayev said that the talks held with President Xi Jinping were rich in content and fruitful, and opened a new "golden thirty years" of Kazakhstan-China relations.

During his stay in China, President Tokayev also attended the opening ceremony of the Kazakhstan Consulate General in Xi'an, witnessed the official launch of the Kazakhstan National Pavilion on the Chinese e-commerce platform, and attended the site project of China-Kazakhstan (Xi'an) Trade and Logistics Co., Ltd. The groundbreaking ceremony, etc., can be said to be full of schedule and fruitful. China and Kazakhstan also agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, agriculture, automobile manufacturing and energy, deepen connectivity, promote land-sea combined transport, expand cooperation in new fields such as e-commerce, innovation, and big data, and promptly implement the mutual establishment of cultural centers. And the establishment of Luban Workshop, taking the opportunity of signing the mutual visa exemption agreement as an opportunity to strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation.

Practice has proved that the strategic leadership of the head of state is the fundamental guarantee and the greatest advantage for the sustained and high-level development of China-Kazakhstan relations. The heads of state of China and Kazakhstan have established a good working relationship and personal friendship, and personally steered the development of bilateral relations. Under the current complicated international situation, President Tokayev's visit to China is of great significance. He has given full play to the strategic leading role of the head of state's diplomacy and promoted the development of China-Kazakhstan relations and made new substantive and breakthrough progress in cooperation in various fields. It has injected new and strong impetus into the construction of a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" in Kazakhstan. What achievements have China and Central Asian countries made in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" in the past ten years? How will Kazakhstan and China further promote the high-quality development of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" in the future?

Answer: In September 2013, when President Xi Jinping gave a speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, he proposed the initiative of jointly building the "Silk Road Economic Belt". "The starting point and the first stop in the west. Leaders of Central Asian countries actively attended the first and second "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum, and praised the "Belt and Road" initiative as "the 'golden key' for countries to solve crises and challenges in the post-epidemic era" window of opportunity” and “closely linking different countries on all continents”. President Tokayev said in an interview: "This is a very promising and ambitious project. Kazakhstan very much supports the concept that President Xi Jinping expounded here ten years ago. This project will bring many benefits to many countries."

Over the past 10 years, China and the Central Asian countries have tried to build the "Belt and Road" first, and it has achieved great success. It has achieved fruitful results in the docking of development strategies, the construction of cooperation mechanisms, and the promotion of major projects, and has produced an important demonstration effect in the international community. From roads, railways to natural gas pipelines, from industrial parks, international dry ports to livelihood projects, a series of major cooperation projects have helped the five Central Asian countries improve their infrastructure and advance their industrialization process. At present, the China-Europe trains passing through Central Asia account for nearly 80% of the total number of China-Europe trains. In 2022, the trade volume between China and the five Central Asian countries will reach 70.2 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of about 100 times compared to when diplomatic relations were established. In the first four months of this year, the import and export between China and Kazakhstan and other five Central Asian countries increased by 37.3% year-on-year. In 2022, the cross-border e-commerce trade volume between China and Central Asia will increase by 95% year-on-year, and nearly 300 Central Asian companies will settle on Chinese e-commerce platforms. By the end of 2022, the stock of China's direct investment in the five Central Asian countries will be nearly US$15 billion. More and more Central Asian commodities can enter the huge consumer market of China, so that they can go to Europe more quickly, making Central Asia an important commercial hub in the world.

During the China-Central Asia Summit, China and Central Asia made new and great achievements in the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road". The "Xi'an Declaration of the China-Central Asia Summit" pointed out that all parties spoke highly of the significance of the "Belt and Road" initiative in leading international cooperation, and will take the tenth anniversary of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative as a new starting point to strengthen the The "One Road" initiative is aligned with Kazakhstan's "Bright Road" new economic policy and other initiatives and development strategies of the five Central Asian countries to deepen practical cooperation in various fields and form a new pattern of cooperation that is deeply complementary and highly win-win. The "China-Kazakhstan Joint Statement" clearly stated that the two heads of state spoke highly of the cooperation achievements of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative in the past 10 years. The two sides reiterated that they will further strengthen regional connectivity, give full play to the potential of mutual trade, investment and cross-border transportation, and deepen practical cooperation in various fields under the "Belt and Road" framework.

In the next step, China and Kazakhstan will take the opportunity of the 10th anniversary of the "Belt and Road" initiative in Kazakhstan and the third "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum to seriously summarize successful experiences, always adhere to the principle of joint consultation, joint construction and shared benefits, and "high standards, Sustainable and benefit the people's livelihood as the goal, vigorously promote trade liberalization and facilitation, expand industrial and investment cooperation, promote the construction of China-Central Asia transportation corridor, support the establishment of China-Central Asia energy development partnership, encourage high-tech cooperation, guarantee Regional food security, jointly create a new pattern of cooperation that is deeply complementary and highly win-win, promote the high-quality development of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" in Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries, and bring more benefits to the people of all countries.

What role does Kazakhstan play in China's cooperation with Central Asia? What kind of role does it play?

A: Kazakhstan has a vast territory, straddling the Eurasian continent, with a unique strategic position, obvious geopolitical advantages, and rich natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals. Regardless of its land area or economic scale, Kazakhstan is a major country in Central Asia and plays an irreplaceable role in the stability and development of Central Asia. As early as in ancient times, Kazakhstan was an important node of the ancient Silk Road. Together with other countries in Central Asia, Kazakhstan made important contributions to the cohesion and inheritance of the Silk Road spirit with the core of peace and cooperation, openness and tolerance, mutual learning, and mutual benefit and win-win results. .

Since its independence, Kazakhstan has seized opportunities to continuously improve its domestic economic layout, give full play to its geographical advantages as a land transportation hub in Eurasia, actively participate in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and vigorously carry out international cooperation with Central Asian countries, not only It has embarked on a development path that suits its own national conditions, and is playing an increasingly important role in promoting regional security, stability, development and prosperity.

President Tokayev said in an interview before attending the China-Central Asia Summit and paying a state visit to China that Kazakhstan plays a pivotal role in connecting trade routes and balancing regional and international relations. central hub. Kazakhstan hopes to host international forums and conferences, bringing together all those who are committed to promoting peace and building bridges of peace between countries in conflict.

Security, stability, development and prosperity in Central Asia are the common aspirations of countries in the region, including China and Kazakhstan. For a long time, while China and Kazakhstan have unswervingly consolidated and deepened the good-neighborly and friendly bilateral relations, they have also relied on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, CICA and other regional multilateral cooperation platforms to communicate closely on regional security and development issues in a timely manner, and promote regional countries to vigorously combat the "three evil forces". ", anti-drug, transnational organized crime, interconnection and intercommunication, energy and other fields, and actively maintain the long-term stability, development and prosperity of Central Asia.

In the next step, China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to implement the results of the first "China-Central Asia" summit and President Tokayev's visit to China, accelerate the construction of China-Central Asia mechanisms, and strengthen the cooperation between the "Belt and Road" initiative and Kazakhstan's "Bright Road". The new economic policy and other regional development initiatives, firmly support Central Asian countries in independently choosing development paths according to their national conditions, resolutely oppose external forces interfering in the internal affairs of Central Asian countries, jointly respond to security threats, and conscientiously implement global development initiatives, global security initiatives, global Civilization initiative, and jointly make "China-Kazakhstan contribution" to promote the construction of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

During President Tokayev’s visit to China, Kazakhstan and China signed a mutual visa exemption agreement. What do you think is the significance of this move, and what impact will it bring to Kazakhstan-China relations and cooperation in various fields?

Answer: Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 31 years ago, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Kazakhstan relations have continued to develop at a high level, cooperation in various fields has continued to deepen, and higher demands have been placed on the facilitation of personnel exchanges between the two sides. The "long-standing difficulty" of expanding personnel exchanges is a major "urgent, difficult and anxious" issue for the people of the two countries.

With the personal care and promotion of the two heads of state, last July, Kazakhstan implemented a 14-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens, which has received good results. On the basis of previous work, and in order to meet the needs of the development of China-Kazakhstan relations and cooperation in various fields, China and Kazakhstan continued to meet each other halfway. During President Tokayev's visit to China, the China-Kazakhstan mutual visa exemption agreement was successfully signed. The signing of the mutual visa exemption agreement between China and Kazakhstan is the inevitable result of the development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries. Deepening cooperation in various fields between the two sides and playing an important role in the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" is also the proper meaning of the high-level permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kazakhstan.

I have noticed that some people with ulterior motives or who don't know the truth are manipulating public opinion and hyping up the "China-Kazakhstan visa-free threat theory", which is pure nonsense. The China-Kazakh mutual visa exemption agreement is only applicable to tourism and business purposes, and does not give visa-free entry the right to work, so there will be no problems such as "seizing employment opportunities for the Kazakh people" that very few people worry about. The mutual visa exemption policy is an important consensus reached by the two countries, and no external forces are allowed to interfere. The "China-Kazakhstan Joint Statement" signed by China and Kazakhstan on May 17 once again emphasized that the two sides spoke highly of the signing of the mutual visa exemption agreement between the two governments, and are willing to implement the above-mentioned documents and study more measures to promote the facilitation of personnel exchanges and standardize cooperation in the field of immigration .

In the next step, China is willing to work with Kazakhstan to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and President Tokayev, accelerate the implementation of the visa-free policy, facilitate personnel exchanges, and take advantage of the "mutual visa exemption" to actively deepen cooperation in various fields. Cooperation, implement the "Cultural Silk Road" plan and the 2024 Kazakhstan Tourism Year in China, strengthen dialogue among civilizations, speed up the establishment of traditional medical centers and mutual cultural centers, promote exchanges between international students from the two countries, speed up the establishment of Luban workshops in Kazakhstan, and consolidate Humanities cooperation in education, science, culture, tourism, archaeology, archaeology, archives, sports, media, think tanks, etc. will promote more provinces, states and cities to form friendships and work together to build a "China-Kazakhstan Community of Shared Future".

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Ambassador Zhang Xiao gave an interview to the Kazakh media on the successful holding of the China-Central Asia Summit and Kazakh President Tokayev's successful state visit to China

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