Nazarbayev calls for closer ties between China, Kazakhstan

ALMATY. April 15. KAZINFORM On the eve of a state visit to China, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev called for closer ties between his country and China, Kazinform refers to Xinhuanet.
None
None
At the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, President Nazarbayev is to visit China from April 15 to April 19, his 16th visit to the neighboring country. The frequent visits themselves are a testimony of the attention paid by the two countries to each other, Nazarbayev said in an exclusive interview with China's Xinhua news agency and People's Daily. Kazakhstan and China share a borderline of more than 1,700 km, and bilateral relations have developed with great momentum since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in 1992. The China-Kazakhstan Good-Neighborly Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 2002 serves as a cornerstone of their strategic partnership facing the 21st century, Nazarbayev said, adding that the two countries have completely solved the boundary issue, and turned their border region into a land of friendship and trade. Kazakhstan firmly supports China's combat against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and is China's faithful alliance in the campaign. On bilateral trade relations, Nazarbayev said that the railway through Allah Mountain pass, built in the early 1990s, has linked China and Kazakhstan closely and bilateral trade volume has been increasing constantly ever since. The Kazakhstan-China oil pipeline, which is already in operation and the Kazakhstan-China natural gas pipe, which is still under construction, are of historic significance, and the two countries have conducted down-to-earth cooperation in both energy and non-energy sectors. Kazakhstan spoke highly of the measures taken by the Chinese government to tackle the global financial crisis, saying that China's anti-crisis measures are very effective, which greatly mitigated the negative impact of the crisis. Nazarbayev said as part of the global economy, Kazakhstan has also felt the difficulties arising from the economic crisis. Thanks for the revenues earned by the oil and gas industry over the past few years, the Kazakh national fund has accumulated a considerable amount of reserve capital, which is about 40 percent of the country's GDP, he said. The anti-crisis measures included stabilizing Kazakhstan's financial system and expanding the banks' lending capabilities, said the president. He listed other measures such as investment in the construction sector, restoration of housing construction, and greater support for potentially promising small and medium-sized firms. Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan will also spool efforts to develop agriculture and implement post-crisis development plans. Kazakhstan has earmarked about 18 billion U.S. dollars to carryout the above measures, and it's these effective measures that Kazakhstan can have the confidence in responding to the financial crisis, the president said. Kazakhstan spoke highly of the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and will fully support the development of the SCO, which he believed has brought benefits to the country and its people, Nazarbayev pointed out. Nazarbayev said he is pleased to pay a state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao. He believed that China will have a better future and occupy a more important position on the world arena. "I wish China prosperity and Chinese people happiness," the president said at the end of the interview, Kazinform cites Xinhuanet. See www.chinaview.cn for full version.
Currently reading