China News Agency, Astana, December 30th, Question: Kazakhstan and China have had 30 years of exchanges, what enlightenment has it brought to the diplomatic relations between the two countries?
——Interview with Timur Shaymergenov, senior Kazakh diplomat and expert on international issues
China News Agency reporter Zhang Shuo
Since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, China and Kazakhstan have achieved leapfrog development from friendly relations to permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, becoming one of the models of good-neighborly friendship.
In the complex international environment, the exchanges between China and Kazakhstan have also provided a reference for the coexistence of different countries and civilizations.
A few days ago, the book "China-Kazakhstan: Thirty Years of Good-Neighborly Friendship and Mutually Beneficial Cooperation" was published in Kazakhstan. The book records the important development stages and many important moments of the relations between the two countries.
The main creator of the book, Timur Shaymergonov, accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions" and shared his thoughts on Kazakhstan-China exchanges over the past 30 years from the perspective of an expert on Kazakhstan's international issues.
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Agency reporter: China and Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations 30 years ago. What impact has the leapfrog development of bilateral relations brought to Kazakhstan?
Shaimergenov:
Neighboring countries are bound to have relations, and Kazakhstan-China exchanges are the same.
Since the 1990s, both countries have achieved rapid development, which has had a positive impact on Asia becoming the center of the global economy.
China has become the world's second largest economy, and Kazakhstan has entered the top 50 most competitive countries in the world.
We will not stop pursuing progress, and maybe that's why the two neighbors are attracted to each other.
When talking about the impact of Kazakhstan-China relations on Kazakhstan, I think we should start from the political level.
China was one of the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan's independence and establish diplomatic relations with Kazakhstan, thus showing its friendly attitude towards Kazakhstan.
In the 1990s, Kazakhstan voluntarily abandoned its nuclear program. This decision was highly praised by the international community, including China.
The two countries also signed a national border agreement and a border demarcation agreement, which comprehensively resolved the border issue between the two countries through legal means.
Over the years, the economies of the two countries have achieved rapid development.
Kazakhstan has diversified its oil and natural gas exports through cooperation with China, while attracting tens of billions of dollars of investment from China.
In 2013, China proposed the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt in Kazakhstan. Now the "Belt and Road" initiative has become a model of global cooperation, connecting more than 140 countries and achieving many construction achievements.
Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China-Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) logistics base is busy with loading and unloading.
Photo by Wang Jianmin
Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world, and it is also an important traffic route connecting Asia and Europe, where a lot of Asia-Europe trade passes through.
This has fundamentally established Kazakhstan's international positioning as a transport bridge for the Eurasian continent.
Borrowing the ancient Chinese saying "30 years old" to describe Kazakhstan-China relations is more appropriate.
In the past 30 years, the friendly relations between the two countries have laid the foundation for the development of cooperation.
In 30 years, Kazakhstan has established its own country and gained international respect, while China has gradually become a country with strong influence and economic and technological capabilities.
Today, the people of Kazakhstan are advancing with full confidence to achieve national prosperity, and the Chinese people are striving to achieve the "two centenary goals". The people of Kazakhstan and China have similar visions and are working hard for it.
Standing at a new starting point for the development of bilateral relations, I believe that Kazakhstan and China will join hands to create the next "30 years of gold".
China News Agency reporter: Why do you say that participating in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has brought "visible prosperity" to Kazakhstan?
Shaymergonov:
"The Belt and Road Initiative" has become an initiative involving a wide range of international cooperation.
Kazakhstan is at the core of this international economic activity. In terms of geoeconomics, the main advantage of the East-West Land Bridge is that it only takes about 15 days for goods to be transported from China to Europe via Kazakhstan, while it takes 45 days for sea transportation.
By studying and judging the international economic situation, Kazakhstan seeks to transform its unique geographical advantage into actual economic benefits.
At present, the global geopolitical situation is complicated, and Kazakhstan, which is at the crossroads of Asia and Europe, has great transit potential and can serve as the most important land corridor and transportation transit hub between Asia and Europe.
At the 25th "Transportation and Logistics" International Exhibition held in Almaty, Chinese machinery and equipment products attracted businessmen to visit and consult.
Photo by Dahnke
At the same time, in response to the "Belt and Road" initiative, Kazakhstan proposed a new economic policy called "Bright Road" aimed at large-scale transformation and upgrading of Kazakhstan's transportation infrastructure and connectivity to international corridors, providing a guarantee for the country's integration into the global freight system.
This infrastructure project with an investment of more than 9 billion US dollars has become an important part of Kazakhstan's participation in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and may be transformed into a geo-economic advantage.
The New Eurasian Continental Bridge also provides Kazakhstan with a fast channel to the sea. For Kazakhstan, which cannot enter the sea trade route, it is of strategic significance and means a new development opportunity.
China News Agency reporter: Kazakhstan and China have a history of more than 2,000 years of civilizational exchanges. How to understand the role of this historical foundation in the development of China-Kazakhstan relations?
A tea ceremony performance at the "Chinese Culture Day" event held in Kazakhstan.
Photo by Zhang Shuo
Shaimergenov:
According to historical records, the relationship between Kazakhstan and China can be traced back to more than 2,000 years ago.
Since ancient times, the two countries have enjoyed active economic and trade exchanges and in-depth cultural cooperation, which have had an important impact on political and cultural exchanges between Europe and Asia.
From the perspective of history and geography, Kazakhstan and China are destined to live as neighbors, develop together, and be sincere friends and reliable partners.
From the establishment of the ancient Silk Road in the 2nd century BC to the revival of the Silk Road in the 21st century, this is also a chronicle of the exchanges between the people of Kazakhstan and China.
Kazakhstan is the core area of exchanges along the ancient Silk Road, and has played an important role in promoting the exchange of human civilizations.
The ancient Silk Road traversed the entire territory of Kazakhstan, and the old capital Almaty can be called the throat of the Silk Road, and it was the only place on the road from ancient China to Central Asia.
At the 7th China-Eurasia Expo held in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the Kazakhstan exhibition area was rich in products, attracting visitors to watch.
Photo by Liu Xin
For centuries, there has been close ties between the two countries.
Undoubtedly, discussions about Kazakhstan-China relations will evoke memories of the great Silk Road.
This unique cross-border land passage connects the East and the West with economic, trade, cultural and humanistic ties, and has left a deep mark on world history. It not only affects the development of Asian and European civilizations, but also reflects the depth and breadth of Kazakhstan-China exchanges. .
Today, the two countries have gradually raised their bilateral relations to a new level of "permanent comprehensive strategic partnership". The word "permanent" in my understanding means that Kazakhstan and China, as neighbors, are destined to have close exchanges, which has been the case for thousands of years.
However, in the development of modern relations, the exchanges between the two sides have shown broad and balanced characteristics. The two countries have constructive dialogues in the political field and close cooperation in the economic field. It can be said that there are almost no areas where we do not interact.
Local middle school students in Nur-Sultan (now Astana) are reading Chinese textbooks.
Photo by Wen Longjie
China News Agency reporter: In your opinion, what important revelations have the 30 years of China-Kazakhstan exchanges brought to the relationship between countries?
Shaimergenov:
Kazakhstan and China have truly established a model relationship between countries.
In a short period of time, Kazakhstan-China cooperation has made remarkable achievements, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of bilateral relations.
First of all, the two sides have maintained the good tradition of close exchanges between heads of state, fully utilized the important strategic leading role of head of state diplomacy in the development of bilateral relations, improved the regular meeting mechanism of prime ministers, and maintained the efficient operation of the Kazakhstan-China Cooperation Committee, so that the strategic partnership between the two countries can develop steadily and systematically .
Second, the continuous deepening of Kazakhstan-China relations is conducive to the realization of long-term peace and stability in the region.
The two countries share the same position and common language on major international issues, and expand cooperation and strengthen coordination within the framework of multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, and the "China + Five Central Asian Countries" meeting mechanism. Let's work together to maintain regional peace and tranquility.
Beijing philatelists display commemorative stamps of the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit".
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an important platform for multilateral and bilateral diplomacy between China, Kazakhstan and member states.
Photo by Bian Zhengfeng
In addition, in the context of the global economic downturn, Kazakhstan-China economic and trade cooperation has contributed to the recovery and growth of the world economy.
In the past 30 years, the two countries have established sound and mutually beneficial cooperative relations in various fields such as economy, transportation, and agriculture, and bilateral trade has increased by nearly 50 times.
In order to strengthen the increasingly close regional relations, Kazakhstan and China have focused on transportation, logistics and industrial cooperation, and jointly built dozens of new industrial projects in Kazakhstan.
China News Agency reporter: How do you understand the "New Kazakhstan" development strategy that Kazakhstan is promoting? Under this strategy, what changes will take place in Kazakhstan's foreign exchanges?
Shaimergenov:
The "New Kazakhstan" development strategy proposed by President Tokayev is a reform initiative aimed at realizing the comprehensive modernization of the country's political system. Its core is to build a new and fair Kazakhstan. And provide equal opportunity for everyone.
This means that Kazakhstan is seeking to create more possibilities for sustainable development in the future through its own development and growth.
Tokayev visited the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and delivered a speech.
Photo by Tomita
Tokayev said at the presidential swearing-in ceremony held at the end of November that Kazakhstan will mainly rely on itself for its development, and at the same time actively expand international cooperation in various fields, including attracting foreign investment.
When talking about the field of diplomacy, he clearly stated that Kazakhstan will continue to implement a balanced and constructive foreign policy.
Its priority focus will be on issues of relations with Russia, China, partner countries in Central Asia, and partners in the Eurasian Economic Union.
Therefore, Kazakhstan will not change its foreign policy towards China. On the contrary, Kazakhstan will work with China to unswervingly consolidate bilateral relations and let the friendship between the two countries and the two peoples be passed down from generation to generation.
This was also recorded in the joint statement signed by the two sides on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in September 2022.
The two sides also agreed that entering a new stage, they are willing to uphold the spirit of mutual respect, good-neighborliness and friendship, solidarity, mutual benefit and win-win, further strengthen bilateral dialogue, and meticulously build the next "golden 30 years" of bilateral relations.
This shows that Kazakhstan and China are optimistic about future cooperation and intend to develop a closer partnership in the new stage.
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Respondent profile:
Timur Shaymergenov is a senior Kazakh diplomat and expert on international issues.
He once served as the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of National Defense and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, and the Chairman of the International Information Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.
He is currently the senior think tank of Kazakhstan and the first deputy director of the presidential library of Kazakhstan.
The scientific research center under its institution drafts authoritative research and analysis reports in various fields for President Kazakhstan and state departments.
His main research directions are international relations and geopolitics, as well as the security and integration process of Central Asia, and he has published more than 90 scientific research works.