With the continuous deepening of China's Belt and Road construction process, and the achievements of cooperation that are obvious to all around the world, recently, the community has more and more doubts about the necessity of China-Kazakhstan friendly relations and the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation. Some people believe that "the threat of loss of political sovereignty", while others believe that "Kazakhstan's economic dependence on China." These rumors are mainly caused by missing or distorted information. Of course, the existence of this situation shows that we need to improve the methods for state institutions to provide objective information to the public. At the same time, we should also see the active work of the "third force", who pay close attention to the rapid development of Kazakhstan-China relations in recent years.

Shahrat Nureshev, First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan

Although President Tokayev has repeatedly stated that he will not sell or lease Kazakhstan land to foreigners, some people are still pursuing this topic. They are trying to destabilize the political situation in Kazakhstan and continue to call for public gatherings and protests. Since the Kazakh government has taken comprehensive and decisive measures on the land issue, they began to propose restrictions on relations with China at a recent rally.

Therefore, I suggest reviewing the current situation and analyzing ways to further develop cooperation with China. After all, we have a common border of 1,700 kilometers with China.

1. Political cooperation

First of all, we should remember that Kazakhstan has always adhered to the multilateral foreign policy formulated by the first President Nazarbayev. In the new stage of national development, in the context of maintaining the continuity of foreign policy, the head of state has repeatedly reiterated this policy.

"Kazakhstan's 2020-2030 Foreign Policy Concentration" clearly pointed out the further development of the alliance with Russia; the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership with China; the expanded strategic partnership with the United States; strategic cooperation with Central Asian countries; and the European Union And expanded partnerships and cooperation with its member states.

January 3, 2022 will usher in the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan. In just 30 years, the level of cooperation between China and Kazakhstan has entered a new stage.

In 1995, the Chinese government, as one of the nuclear powers, provided Kazakhstan with security guarantees; in 1999, the border issues left over from the Soviet era were completely resolved, and the corresponding border agreements were signed between the governments of Kazakhstan and China. At present, the border and demarcation work between the two countries has been fully completed. The fixed border lines and border posts along the borders on the map are the basis for the certainty of the border between the two countries.

According to the "Agreement on Establishing Military Mutual Trust in Border Areas and Reducing Armed Forces in Border Areas" signed at the two "Five Nations Conferences" in Shanghai in 1996 and Moscow in 1997, the two sides agreed to reduce the armed forces stationed in the border areas. Its condition undergoes annual joint inspections. Currently, such inspections are participated by five countries and are conducted twice a year.

Thanks to the political will of the two heads of state, such an important political agreement can be realized. There are various rumors now spreading that the Chinese government will not fulfill the obligations stipulated in the signing of documents by its previous leaders. Of course, every international treaty has a corresponding clause that stipulates how to terminate the treaty. However, China has never proposed to abandon an agreement that is vital to the development of bilateral relations, and has repeatedly reiterated in the talks that it will strictly abide by its regulations.

There is no doubt that while establishing and continuously developing relations between Kazakhstan and China, national leaders must pay special attention to making the development of relations between China and Kazakhstan conform to their own interests. Since 1996, I have been engaged in Chinese affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 25 years. I have participated in many talks between heads of state, government and various ministries. When I first joined the work, I served as an interpreter and then as a senior diplomat. The main goal of each meeting is to make important decisions that conform to the interests of both countries and peoples. The personal relationship between the two heads of state occupies a special place in China's cooperation.

In the 30 years since our independence, President Nazarbayev and President Tokayev have made significant contributions to actively solving urgent problems in Kazakhstan, and have established close relations with three generations of Chinese leaders, including the joint use of cross-border rivers and the Concerns about the well-being of Chinese Kazakh citizens and other sensitive issues. It should also be pointed out that the cooperation between the two countries within the framework of international organizations, including the mutual support between the two countries in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the CICA and other international organizations.

Given that China is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Kazakhstan should interact closely with China on various global issues. Especially in 2017-2018, Kazakhstan will become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

As everyone knows, the CICA Conference is an initiative put forward by President Nazarbayev. Although some experts believe that the essence of the CICA meeting is similar to that of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. From 2014 to 2018, China successfully hosted many CICA conferences, which really promoted the comprehensive strengthening of mutual trust among member states, and opened up new areas of cooperation within the framework of the “meetings”. In 2014, the CICA Summit was held in Shanghai. .

2. Economic interaction

As we all know, China is currently one of the largest economies in the world. According to official data, despite the spread of the new crown epidemic worldwide, China's GDP in 2020 will still be approximately US$16 trillion. China's economy is still developing rapidly, and the key areas are automation, robotics manufacturing, digitization, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and blockchain industries. Experts predict that China's economy will become the world's first in a few years. It is not surprising that being neighbors with such a huge country makes some people feel worried and terrified.

Nevertheless, we must look for opportunities in China's development to promote the development of our country.

First of all, China is a large market with a population of 1.4 billion. It must import food from abroad in order to guarantee the basic needs of its citizens. According to available information, the annual market value of China's grain market is US$1.5 trillion. Therefore, for Kazakhstan agriculture, exporting agricultural products to neighboring countries should be one of the main priorities.

However, it is a pity that China is still forced to import all kinds of grains from other countries and even from other continents, including South American countries, Australia and New Zealand. These countries export meat, milk, fruits, soybeans and other products to China. The amount is increasing year by year.

As China's demand for food is stable, our goal should be to enter the Chinese market. Stable demand will help us increase production capacity and promote the birth of new enterprises, thereby creating new employment opportunities and solving the unemployment problem.

Of course, to enter the Chinese market, we need to make serious attempts, complete corporate certification, and produce products that meet quality requirements. For this reason, in recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan have provided corresponding assistance to enterprises and promoted the signing of 18 bilateral protocols between the governments of Kazakhstan and China. Today, about 600 domestic companies producing wheat, beef, pork, soybeans, honey, fish, rapeseed, alfalfa, corn, flour and wheat products have been approved to export products to the Chinese market.

Another important area is cooperation in logistics. China is the largest market, and the volume of import and export trade is increasing year by year. Most of the goods are transported by sea, and the other part is transported by rail. For us, it is very important to continue to make rational use of Kazakhstan’s favorable geographical location. If we don’t take advantage of this advantage, China will naturally improve its existing infrastructure and build new railways to import goods.

Within the framework of the "Bright Road" new economic policy, we have completed the construction and renovation of railway corridors. The transit of goods through railway corridors can enable our country to obtain considerable income. By the end of 2020, the total volume of transit goods at the Dostyk-Alashankou and Atenkoli-Khorgos railway stations on the Kazakhstan-China border has exceeded 20 million tons. According to the information of the Kazakhstan Railway Corporation, in the first 11 months of 2020, 718,600 twenty-foot containers were transported in Kazakhstan (compared to 2019, an increase of 35%), including "China-Europe-China "The route has 455,626 twenty-foot containers (an increase of 167% compared to 2019).

At present, there is a lot of competition in logistics and transportation between neighboring countries, and some of them even adopt the method of price reduction and dumping. Nevertheless, due to the efficiency and convenience of our infrastructure, 49% of railway containers on the "China-Europe-China" route are still transported through Kazakhstan.

It is worth noting that the state finances obtain income from each transit train, which is then used to meet the various social needs of the people. At the same time, China is a bridge for us to enter the markets of other countries in the Pacific region. For example, in 2020, the "China-Kazakhstan International Logistics Company" in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province transported more than 200,000 twenty-foot containers. We also ship products to South Korea and Vietnam through Lianyungang.

Recently, we have also seen some critics criticizing China's Belt and Road Initiative. Some people believe that the initiative is "establishing China's rule over Kazakhstan" and "putting it into a debt trap." There are still some people in society who believe that behind the establishment of a joint venture in Kazakhstan is to "take our land", and the main purpose of investment is to "get the ownership of our mineral deposits." They even believe that the planned cooperative investment project will use old equipment and outdated technology.

It should be realized that groups with such views not only exist in Kazakhstan, but also exist in other countries. China-led and fast-developing One Belt One Road project has been criticized by many major countries. The scale of the project not only covers a region, but even spans different continents, which has aroused people's concerns.

I think that before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, representatives of more than 100 countries participated in the Belt and Road Forum held regularly in Beijing, which shows that the initiative is beneficial to them. The Belt and Road Initiative has also opened up new opportunities for Kazakhstan's socio-economic development. Through the implementation of cooperative projects, it is possible to promote infrastructure construction and the development of industrial enterprises, attract advanced technologies and create new jobs.

The issue that needs special attention here is the funding of the cooperative project. Each project has its own financing method. The total cost of the project is not the debt borne by our country, but the amount of funds jointly funded by the companies implementing these projects. At present, most of the projects planned to be implemented jointly between Kazakhstan and China are operated by private companies. The financing method will be loans from these companies. The borrowers are not only Chinese banks, but also Kazakhstan banks.

It must be recognized that attracting foreign investment and advanced technologies play an important role in national economic growth. This is the law of market economy. In this regard, the government of Kazakhstan has been working hard to attract foreign investment, including China. Today, in the scale of foreign direct investment attracted in Kazakhstan, China ranks fourth after the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom.

At present, Chinese investment has become a global trend, and it is a factor that guarantees the healthy development of countries in the world including Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Governments and business circles in many countries welcome the expansion of financial cooperation with Beijing. However, Chinese companies are very cautious in choosing partners to ensure the safety of investment.

Kazakhstan is one of China’s partners, thanks to the establishment of the Astana International Financial Center. The center has increased investor confidence. It can be seen that the projects implemented in cooperation with China have changed the economic structure of the region. For example, an innovative rapeseed processing and rapeseed oil production enterprise was established in the northern region of Kazakhstan. Thanks to cooperation with Chinese partners, rapeseed production in the region has expanded. Turkostan Region is implementing a China-Kazakhstan cooperation project for the processing of mare and camel milk. Due to the use of the latest technology in the food industry, the dairy products that Kazakhs are proud of are also being sold abroad. The modernization project of the Shymkent refinery also attracted investment from China. Today, Shymkent Refinery has become a modern technology complex, producing various petrochemical products for domestic and foreign markets.

Various problems arising during the implementation of cooperation projects can find suitable solutions in mechanisms and platforms such as the regular meetings of the heads of government, the "Kazakhstan-China Cooperation Committee" and the "Kazakhstan-China Business Council".

The positive changes brought to Kazakhstan by China’s Belt and Road Initiative are obvious to all. In summary, Kazakhstan and China should give full consideration to each other’s interests, continue to make Sino-Kazakh relations the priority of bilateral relations, further develop comprehensive strategic partnerships, and expand their respective partnerships. Mutually beneficial cooperation in the field, continue to engage in dialogue on sensitive issues and jointly resolve emerging issues. Kazakhs have this concept, that is, "God-given neighbor." China is our neighbor and the Chinese economy is developing rapidly. We should make full use of the positive interaction with China to promote the vigorous development of Kazakhstan. Editor/Xu Shengpeng