At a meeting with China's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov said that China is one of the largest trade partners of Kazakhstan, accounting for 18% of the total trade turnover. China is among the top 5 countries investing in the economy of Kazakhstan, Kazpravda.kz reports with reference to the press service of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
The parties discussed a wide range of issues of interstate cooperation in the areas of trade, investment attraction, industry, energy, agriculture, transport and logistics, digital technologies, the use of transboundary rivers, etc.
Smailov indicated the readiness of the Government of Kazakhstan to work actively to achieve the goal of increasing mutual trade to $35 billion by 2030, set by the heads of the two states.
“Our countries have significant potential in the supply of agricultural products. Kazakh enterprises would like to further increase the export of food products to China. In this regard, the further removal of trade barriers and restrictions is of great importance,” the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan said.
In turn, Zhang Xiao expressed the Chinese side's interest in importing agricultural products from Kazakhstan, increasing the volume of rail transportation, strengthening interregional cooperation and partnership in the IT sector.
At present, Kazakh companies are being actively assisted in entering major Chinese trading platforms and the Chinese market as a whole, the Chinese Ambassador said.
“We believe that there is great potential for bringing our economic relations to a qualitatively new level. We need to set new, more ambitious goals,” Zhang Xiao said.
During the meeting, the parties considered the issues of resuming the work of the Khorgos ICBC, opening the third railway crossing in the area of the Bakhty-Pokitu automobile checkpoint, developing the Trans-Caspian international transport route, building major highways and creating new industries in mechanical engineering.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 2, 2023