The 10th anniversary of the Chinese initiative is significant for Kazakhstan not only due to the achieved economic effect but also because Xi Jinping first announced the initiative in Astana in 2013.
The mega-project of the People’s Republic of China is known worldwide, as 150 countries and 31 international organizations are already participating in its implementation.
Profitable Neighborhood
A bit of history and statistics. From 2013 to 2020, within the framework of the «One Belt, One Road» initiative, China invested approximately 18.5 billion dollars in Kazakhstan, of which 3.8 billion was in the transportation sector. In 2022, the World Bank forecasted a 21% increase in Kazakhstan’s GDP due to Chinese investments in the region.
In 2020, China became the European Union’s main trading partner for the first time, taking over the position from the USA. Open sources published data citing Eurostat, which showed that EU exports to the USA in 2020 amounted to 353 billion dollars, while imports were 202 billion dollars. In the same period, EU exports to China were 202.5 billion dollars, with imports at 383.5 billion dollars.
A significant portion of Chinese exports to Europe passes through Kazakhstan’s territory, and this route is on average three to four days faster than through Mongolia and Russia. Moreover, the heads of state and governments of China and Kazakhstan demonstrate openness to cooperation and the enhancement of mutual relationship potential.
Following the third forum of «One Belt, One Road,» held in October to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Chinese initiative, renowned Sinologist Adil Kaukenov noted in the media: «Our countries are neighbors, and a neighbor does not go away. There is a saying: ‘A neighbor is sent by God.’ Our neighbor is China, which is currently the world’s second-largest economy with a vast population that is rapidly growing wealthier. The regions of China are connected by a new ‘wonder of the world’ – high-speed railways, with trains running at speeds of 250-300 km/h.
Technologies continue to evolve, and there are plans to increase speeds up to 600 and even 1000 kilometers per hour. China is a powerful economic and technological trading partner, with whom we have many joint projects, including in the field of security, combating drug trafficking, and human trafficking. Since we are neighboring countries, this is our common field of cooperation. Kazakhstani producers are interested in having special conditions in the Chinese market, in particular, there is success in negotiations over Kazakhstani wheat, Kazakhstani meat, fish, and many other projects.»
The expert noted that container shipments through Kazakhstan from China to Europe have increased a hundredfold. Our republic has become a central link in many projects within the «One Belt, One Road» initiative, the effects of which are already being felt today.
A New Stage of Relations
The impressive concept, which Chairman of the PRC Xi Jinping announced 10 years ago, brings to life not only the ‘Belt and Road’ project itself but also global initiatives for development, security, and civilization. China is enhancing cooperation with countries and regions, uniting efforts to address the ‘four deficits’—the deficit of peace, the deficit of development, the deficit of security, and the deficit of effective governance,
says the Consul General of China in Almaty, Jiang Wei.
According to her, a distinctive feature of Chinese-Kazakhstani relations has also become the fact that both countries were the first to announce the creation of a joint community of a shared destiny, which is characterized by mutually beneficial partnership, friendship, mutual trust, and solidarity.
At the «China-Central Asia» summit in May 2023, the convergence of the PRC with the region became particularly evident. In addition to the signing of the Xi’an Declaration, the countries of the region and the PRC agreed to meet every two years in the Central Asia-China format. The next one is planned for 2025 in Kazakhstan.
«Over the 31 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendship between China and Kazakhstan has followed a remarkable path of development. Chinese-Kazakhstani relations have reached the highest level in history and are confidently moving forward, heading towards a new ‘golden thirty years.’ Intergovernmental exchanges, exchanges between legislative bodies, political parties, and local authorities of China and Kazakhstan are already developing.»
China has become Kazakhstan’s largest trading partner and one of the primary destinations for Kazakhstani students studying abroad. Cooperation in tourism between the PRC and Kazakhstan is showing clear progress — the movement of people is becoming increasingly convenient.
The countries are closely linked by more than 1700 kilometers of common borders and extensive shared interests. On October 17-18, the third summit of international cooperation «One Belt, One Road» took place in Beijing. China is ready to seize this opportunity to work with Kazakhstani partners to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, deepening international cooperation within the «One Belt, One Road» initiative and achieving even greater cooperative outcomes that will bring benefits to the people of both nations, concludes Jiang Wei.
