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Kazakh president highlights 'ambitious plans' to deepen relations with China

According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, given the high pace of cooperation between the two countries, the goal of taking bilateral trade to the $100 bln level looks achievable

BEIJING, July 1. /TASS/. Kazakhstan has "ambitious plans" to deepen relations with China, the Central Asian country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

"I would like to point out that we have ambitious plans to further deepen our multifaceted relations with China. The necessary preconditions and conditions are being created for that," he said in an interview with the Xinhua news agency ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kazakhstan.

According to Tokayev, given the high pace of cooperation between the two countries, the goal of taking bilateral trade to the $100 bln level looks achievable. "In a short time after the [coronavirus] pandemic, we managed not only to restore our relations but to take them to a higher level of effective cooperation in all fields," the Kazakh leader stressed, adding: "We have no plans to stop there."

The president went on to say that Kazakhstan "fully supports" China’s One Belt, One Road initiative and "is ready to continue active participation in efforts to further align our national strategies."

"We are looking forward to President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Astana at the beginning of the month," Tokayev noted. "I am sure that the upcoming talks will benefit our nations and the agreements that we will reach will give a strong boost to relations between the two countries, outlining new prospects for cooperation and writing another page of success in the history of Kazakh-Chinese permanent comprehensive strategic partnership," he said.

Xi will visit Kazakhstan and Tajikistan on July 2-6. He is particularly expected to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana on July 4.

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China Kazakhstan

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