Ambassador of Kazakhstan to China Shakhrat Nuryshev speaks at a press conference in Beijing on April 11, 2025 Photo: Courtesy of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in China

At a press conference in Beijing on April 11, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to China Shakhrat Nuryshev pointed out that the current development of the bilateral relations has reached an unprecedented level, with both countries supporting each other's positions within a multilateral framework, making their relationship a model of efficient cooperation.

Nuryshev emphasized that Kazakhstan views cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) framework as a diplomatic priority. Kazakhstan fully supports China's role in the SCO as the current head of the organization's rotating presidency, and looks forward to the SCO Summit in Tianjin in 2025 bringing new opportunities for regional cooperation.

The ambassador also announced that the second China-Central Asia Summit will be held in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, with preparations for the meeting progressing smoothly. The summit will promote the long-term development of the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism. The scale of cooperation between the two countries has been expanding year-on-year. According to the data of the General Administration of Customs of China, the trade volume between Kazakhstan and China reached a historic high of $43.8 billion in 2024.

Cultural cooperation is also thriving. Nuryshev noted that 2024 was designated as the "Kazakhstan Tourism Year" in China, with Kazakhstan receiving 655,000 Chinese tourists, a year-on-year increase of 78 percent. Over the past year, the two countries have established cultural centers and universities, and have widely launched talent training cooperation projects. Currently, more than 4,000 young Kazakhs are studying in China.

The ambassador believes that the activities for the tourism year and the mutual visa exemption system will inject strong momentum into tourism cooperation between the two countries.