China, Kazakhstan agree to integrate growth strategies

ASTANA - Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov met here Thursday and agreed to align their countries' growth strategies and boost bilateral cooperation on production capacity.

China and Kazakhstan are indeed comprehensive strategic partners, said Zhang, who arrived in Astana on Wednesday for a three-day visit to Kazakhstan.

He recalled that during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Kazakhstan in May and Masimov's trip to China in March, the two sides reached important consensus on consolidating bilateral ties and practical cooperation, including collaboration on production capacity.

The vice premier said his visit was aimed at promoting implementation of the agreements the two nations have reached and further beefing up bilateral all-around cooperation.

The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative brought up by Xi and the "Path of Light" economic strategy proposed by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev enjoy a high degree of compatibility, Zhang pointed out.

He added that integrating the two initiatives will inject more dynamism into and provide more opportunities for the economic development and practical cooperation in the Eurasian continent.

The Silk Road Economic Belt is part of what is commonly known as the Belt and Road Initiative, which was proposed by Xi in 2013 and also includes the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

The grand vision brings together countries in Asia, Europe and even Africa via overland and maritime networks, with the purpose of boosting infrastructure building, financial cooperation and cultural exchanges.

Noting that Kazakhstan is a prioritized partner in Belt construction and an important member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Zhang said China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to dovetail the Belt with the "Path of Light" and the development of the EAEU.

Such coordination, he added, will help build the two countries into a community of common interests and shared destiny and maintain regional peace and stability.

The vice premier called on the two sides to focus the coupling of their initiatives on specific areas and projects so as to reap early harvests as soon as possible.

Zhang said bilateral cooperation on production capacity has begun to take shape, with more and more items added to the list of early harvests and enthusiasm for cooperation on steady rise among local governments and enterprises of both countries.

The mutually beneficial cooperation should be carried out by market forces under government guidance, Zhang said, while urging the two sides to accelerate talks on production capacity and investment cooperation, promote implementation of relevant projects and offer reciprocal visa facilitation for those involved.