NUR-SULTAN, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Saturday met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with both sides reaffirming commitments to strengthening ties of the two countries.
During the meeting, Wang said that China and Kazakhstan, as good neighbors and partners, have developed long-term stable relationship. President Xi Jinping and President Tokayev, who have forged firm mutual trust and friendship, decided last year to lift the bilateral ties to permanent comprehensive strategic partnership, opening a new chapter in the bilateral ties.
Wang said the two countries should continually make the long-lasting friendship a consensus among all aspects of life and translate it into cooperation in various fields.
China appreciates the significant results achieved by Kazakhstan in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and will continue to support Kazakhstan's efforts by sharing its experience in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients, and strengthening cooperation in the research and development of vaccines and drugs, Wang noted.
Wang added that President Xi Jinping has set out the goal of fostering a dual-cycle development architecture with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other. The move is an inevitable choice for China's economic growth and also a response to a new international economic situation.
He reiterated that the expansion of the Chinese market and China's further opening up will provide more opportunities for those eyeing broader cooperation with China, adding that China welcomes Kazakhstan to attend this year's China International Import Expo.
Wang stressed that China is ready to firmly defend the Sino-Kazakh friendship, unwaveringly support Kazakhstan's commitment to pursuing stable development and increasing the well-being of citizens.
The two sides will jointly safeguard multilateralism and the international system with the United Nations at the core, maintain regional peace and stability, and jointly build a community of shared future for mankind, Wang said.
For his part, Tokayev said he appreciated China's assistance in sending medical experts and materials to his country in the anti-epidemic fight, and hoped the two sides would strengthen cooperation in vaccine research and development.
Tokayev said Kazakhstan's foreign policy to develop friendly relations with China will never change. The country is ready to deepen cooperation with China in various fields, so as to deliver more tangible benefits to the two peoples.
The president added that no matter how the international situation changes, Kazakhstan always opposes interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and stands ready to work with China to combat false information, including the spread of false information through social media to destabilize a country.
Kazakhstan is willing to strengthen people-to-people exchanges with China by promoting cooperation in the fields of youth, education and culture, and willing to see the opening of more Confucius institutions in the country, Tokayev said. Enditem
