Investment, trade, tourism provide fertile ground for strengthened Sino-Kazakh ties
Print Edition
FOR China and Kazakhstan, two roads lead to common regional prosperity.
One is China’s “New Silk Road”or the Silk Road Economic Belt, as the initiative is officially known. The other is Kazakhstan’s Nourly Jol.
Unlike the much publicized Silk Road Economic Belt, Nourly Jol, (which is roughly translated to “the way to brightness”) remains relatively obscure. Its ambitions, however, have been matched by action on the ground.
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev unveiled the Nourly Jol last November, a massive economic stimulus program aimed at investing a total of US$33 billion in domestic infrastructure upgrades. Among the pledges Nazarbayev made when announcing this project was to transform Kazakhstan into one of the world’s 30 richest countries by 2050.
Can China and Kazakhstan achieve synergy by aligning their economic initiatives? The answer given by Shakhrat Nuryshev, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to China, is a definite yes.
In a recent interview with Shanghai Daily, he said that “our two countries’ top leaders have agreed on aligning our goals.” Nuryshev added that “we are now trying to set up working groups to study issues related to a possible alignment.”
As Kazakhstan borders China and is among the very first countries in the outreach corridor of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Nuryshev sees enormous space for Sino-Kazakh cooperation.
According to him, a key feature of Nourly Jol is to lure foreign investment to build up Kazakh infrastructure and industrial cap acity. Sino-Kazakh partnership in this area have born fruit in the form of numerous pacts.
During President Nazarbayev’s state visit to China in late August, the two countries’ leaders struck about 60 deals worth US$50 billion. These deals covered a host of areas including non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, oil, gas and agriculture. “Through these deals, we hope to attract and import more Chinese technology, management know-how and equipment to fuel Kazakh growth,” Nuryshev told Shanghai Daily.
Nuryshev is hopeful that “after we work out the details (of this partnership), Shanghai’s businessmen and entrepreneurs can actively invest in Kazakhstan.” Sino-Kazakh cooperation could indeed put Kazakhstan on a trajectory to join the 30 strongest economies, as President Nazarbayev vowed.
Nuryshev disclosed that when Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Karim Massimov visits China in December, the two sides are likely to oversee the signing of more deals on developing industrial capacity. In the past year, the significance of China-Kazakhstan ties has been underlined by frequent mutual visits by heads of state. And bilateral ties have been lifted from the “good-neighborly and friendly relations” to “strategic partnership,” and then to “comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Also notable among these developments is the fact that quite a few prominent Kazakh politicians either speak Mandarin or have studied in China. Massimov, for instance, delivered a speech in Chinese at the Bo’ao Forum in March.
Mutual understanding
The number of Kazakhs studying in China now tops 11,000. And given the warming relationship, Nuryshev foresees “a steady increase in the student numbers.” “Our government encourages the youth to study in China, so that when they return, equipped with knowledge, expertise and language skills, they will take the lead to grow our economy and bilateral ties,” Nuryshev said.
Of course, in spite of the closer ties, he admitted that the two countries’ citizens know little about each other. It will naturally take time for political affinity to translate into popular goodwill among the general populace. Nuryshev sees a big role for the media in this regard.
In 2017 Kazakhstan will host several big events, such as the World Expo in Astana and the Winter World University Games in Almaty. “We expect a lot of Chinese publicity to help make Kazakhstan better known among the Chinese public.” Tourism can also draw people closer, and it was only recently that the two countries decided to tap this area with greater vigor.
Last month, Askar Mussinov, deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan, met Chinese tourism authorities in Beijing and signed a memorandum on tourism. According to the memorandum, visa applications submitted by Chinese group tourists visiting Kazakhstan will be streamlined and expedited, said Nuryshev, without specifying how many days it usually takes to obtain a visa.
“At present Chinese visitors to Kazakhstan are mainly on business trips, not for sightseeing,” he said.
But he said Kazakhstan has a beautiful landscape and diverse topography, with mountains, steppes, forests and lakes. “We have modern big cities like Almaty and Astana, and we also have cities like Atyrau that are rich in historical heritage,” Nuryshev asserted.
He added that “as more Chinese tourists come, they will become more familiar with Kazakh history and customs, which is conducive to deepening our friendship.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
