Xi urges launch of China-Kazakhstan projects

President Xi Jinping urged on Friday that the projects of China-Kazakhstan production capacity cooperation should be launched as soon as possible.

The Chinese president made the remarks while meeting with his Kazakhstani counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Tashkent during the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.

The two sides should work together to enhance cooperation in areas including agriculture, energy, people-to-people and culture exchanges, Xi said.

Kazakhstan will become the rotating chair country of the SCO after the Tashkent summit, and China will make joint efforts with Kazakhstan to ensure that the SCO will play a bigger role in regional and international affairs, Xi said.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Nazarbayev agreed to connect his country's strategy of the Bright Road with China's strategy of Belt and Road, and the bilateral relationship with China is the country's priority, he said.

Kazakhstan would like to initiate the cooperative projects on automobile and chemistry, and enhance cooperation in trade, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure and tourism, he said.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn