A Sino-Kazakhstan joint communique was issued after the meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Kazakh counterpart Karim Masimov in Astana, Kazakhstan, Dec. 14, 2014.

China and Kazakhstan maintain traditionally friendly, close, and pragmatic relations. Some major events in recent years have seen the development of Sino-Kazakhstan ties. In 2002, then Chinese President Jiang Zemin and his Kazakh counterpart signed a good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation between China and Kazakhstan. In 2011, China and Kazakhstan issued a joint declaration on developing the China-Kazakhstan comprehensive strategic partnership. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a joint declaration on further deepening the China-Kazakhstan comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and Kazakhstan are good neighbors. The recent joint communique shows that China and Kazakhstan will support each other in safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, maintaining regional security, and mutual support on issues related to each country's core interests and major concerns. The close Sino-Kazakhstan ties are underscored by the shared determination to firmly support each other on issues involving core interests and major concerns.

The great Silk Road revival in the joint communique has enjoyed the full attention of senior leaders in China and Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan's initiative of building a new Silk Road was proposed by Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2012. In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed building a Silk Road economic belt.

Economic cooperation plays a key role in bilateral exchanges as economic progress promotes social development, secures peace and stability, and ensures the well-being of the public. The decision to continue exploring the complementary advantages of both economies in the joint communique has attracted the attention of the market. The strategy of promoting cooperation in non-energy fields indicates future diversification in Sino-Kazakhstan cooperation, as the scope of cooperation will expand from the energy sector to other areas. Business in both nations will benefit from mutually beneficial cooperation in such fields as manufacturing, chemical engineering, new energy and machinery manufacturing.

In addition to bilateral economic cooperation, the joint communique also addresses food security in the two countries, proposes to build a Sino-Kazakhstan forum of local cooperation, and shows a determination to accelerate preparation work on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The links between China and Kazakhstan are growing ever closer.

This article was edited and translated from 《中哈关系又有了历史新见证》 , author: Xie Weifeng , source: gmw.cn.