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Chinese Premier Arrives in Kazakhstan to Boost Bilateral Ties
Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji arrived in Astana Wednesday for an official visit to the Central Asian country aimed at boosting bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
Zhu was greeted at the airport by Kazakhstan Prime Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev, who held a grand welcoming ceremony in honor of Zhu that included the review of a guard of honor and a flower presentation by two Kazakh girls.
China and Kazakhstan are linked by mountains and rivers and the traditional friendship between the two peoples enjoys a long history. The famous Silk Road is a historic testimony to the long-time friendly exchanges between the two peoples, said Zhu in a written statement delivered at the airport.
He said that since the two countries established diplomatic ties 10 years ago, the relationship between them has been developing smoothly with the settlement of the border issue and significant progress made in their cooperation in various fields including trade, economy, transportation, energy and culture.
During his stay, Zhu will meet with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and parliament leaders besides talks with Tokayev in a bid to promote bilateral cooperation.
The Chinese premier will also go to Alma Ata for the first prime ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), at which government leaders from the six member nations will discuss regional security issues and exchange views on multilateral trade and economic cooperation.
In his speech, Zhu also expressed confidence that his visit will push the relations of good neighborliness and mutual beneficial cooperation forward and deepen the cooperation among the SCO member nations.
Kazakhstan is the last leg of Zhu's four-nation tour, which has taken him to Ireland, Belgium ad Russia.
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