Bilateral growth in trade, infrastructure, energy and culture sets a model for regional partnership

China and Kazakhstan share a long-standing relationship rooted in mutual trust, assistance and understanding, according to experts.

This enduring friendship has now evolved into a model strategic partnership, with both nations deepening cooperation in political trust, economic and trade ties, industrial collaboration, and people-to-people exchanges.

They are working toward building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future characterized by everlasting friendship, high mutual trust, and a shared destiny.

Since establishing diplomatic ties in January 1992, China-Kazakhstan relations have progressed significantly, from signing the Treaty on Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation in 2002 to forming a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership in 2019.

In 2022, both countries committed to the vision of building a shared future, laying out a long-term blueprint for bilateral relations.

Resilient cooperation

Despite global economic challenges, China-Kazakhstan trade and investment cooperation has maintained strong resilience. In 2024, bilateral trade volume exceeded $44 billion, a record high, reinforcing China's position as Kazakhstan's largest trading partner and most important economic partner.

In the first half of this year, bilateral trade volume reached $21.79 billion, a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent, with China's exports climbing 4.5 percent to $14 billion, reflecting strong growth momentum.

Investment cooperation has also flourished. Since 2005, Chinese enterprises have invested over $27 billion in Kazakhstan, with nearly 6,000 companies now operating there, driving local technological advancement and industrial modernization.

Sector collaboration

China and Kazakhstan have achieved remarkable results in pragmatic cooperation across various sectors. In particular, their collaboration in production capacity and energy has been noteworthy.

Recently, PowerChina Chairman Ding Yanzhang held discussions with senior officials from Kazakhstan's Samruk-Kazyna national welfare fund management board, exploring ways to deepen their cooperation in production capacity.

As Kazakhstan's largest Chinese-funded power contractor, PowerChina aims to collaborate with the Kazakh fund in strategic emerging fields, enhancing cooperation in power, water affairs, and digitalization to aid Kazakhstan's energy transformation and modernization.

In renewable energy, the Mezgilder Qushteri 100-megawatt wind power project, developed by Shanghai-based Universal Energy, recently began grid-connected operations.

It is expected to supply about 387 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually, meeting the needs of hundreds of thousands of households and reducing carbon emissions by 387,000 metric tons per year.

The project uses renminbi pricing for financing and power transactions, minimizing exchange rate risks and optimizing costs, setting a replicable model for Chinese enterprises conducting overseas new energy projects, according to Universal Energy.

In infrastructure, the Astana Light Rail project, with Chinese involvement, marks a significant milestone as Central Asia's first urban light rail line built to Chinese standards and with Chinese equipment. Starting in June, 29 Kazakh train drivers began a three-month training program in Tianjin.

The light rail trains have already been transported to Astana, with test operations on some sections expected by year-end.

Once completed, the project will connect landmarks and key functional areas, such as the airport, Nazarbayev University and the presidential palace along Astana's central axis. The initial estimated average daily passenger flow will be 25,000, with a maximum of 92,000, which will greatly improve local transportation conditions.

In housing and urban development, Ni Hong, minister of housing and urban-rural development of China, led a delegation to visit Kazakhstan in late August and held talks with Yersayin Nagaspayev, minister of industry and construction of Kazakhstan.

They reached a consensus on strengthening pragmatic cooperation in housing and construction between the two countries and across Central Asia.

China is willing to deepen exchanges, cooperation and mutual learning. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is vigorously promoting the construction of pipe networks, looking forward to learning from China's construction expertise, new materials and technologies, and welcoming more Chinese enterprises to participate in its urban development initiatives.

In agriculture, Kazakhstan's exports to China grew by 10 percent in 2024. Chinese investors are actively exploring opportunities in large-scale agricultural processing sectors in Kazakhstan, such as vegetables, grain, corn and cotton, injecting new impetus into the coordinated development of the agricultural industry chains of both countries.

Cooperation in traditional medicine has also become a vital link in China-Kazakhstan people-to-people exchanges.

The China-Kazakhstan Center for Traditional Medicine, jointly built by Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an TCM Hospital of Encephalopathy, and Kazakh institutions, was inaugurated in Astana in December 2022 and officially started operation in May 2023.

The center not only focuses on encephalopathy specialties but provides diagnosis and treatment for common, frequently occurring and difficult diseases in the local area.

As of mid-August, it had served more than 46,000 patients.

The center consistently offers training programs for local TCM practitioners, Western medicine doctors, and TCM enthusiasts, leading to the emergence of a group of foreign TCM doctors who have obtained legal practice qualifications.

In May, the center relocated to a new facility and plans to expand its capabilities by introducing additional diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation equipment. Looking ahead, it aims to customize TCM prescriptions to meet local needs, further enhancing its service capacity.

Expanding exchanges

Following the successful Kazakhstan Tourism Year in China in 2024, the China Tourism Year was launched in Kazakhstan this year, opening up new opportunities for the peoples of both countries to explore each other's cultural traditions, historical relics and natural landscapes.

In the realm of educational cooperation, significant progress has been made. China has established five Confucius Institutes in Kazakhstan, and Northwestern Polytechnical University has opened a branch in Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

On Aug 30, the second and third Luban Workshops — a vocational education initiative pioneered by Tianjin — were officially inaugurated in L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and the Academy of Logistics and Transport, respectively.

Alongside the first Luban Workshop established in East Kazakhstan in 2023, these workshops form a comprehensive technical talent training platform spanning multiple regions and fields, providing practice-oriented professional talent to support Kazakhstan's economic development.

As of March 2024, China and Kazakhstan have established 26 pairs of friendly provinces and cities, with Beijing and Astana becoming sister cities, strengthening sub-national exchanges and cooperation.

Currently, both countries are committed to mutual respect and benefit, deepening cooperation across various fields, and writing a new chapter in building a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future, contributing to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn