China ready to help Kazakhstan beat COVID-19 pandemic: Chinese FM

Workers transfer medical supplies from China in a warehouse at the Almaty International Airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 2, 2020. (Kursiv Newspaper/Handout via Xinhua)

The two sides should take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year as a new starting point, and make a new leap forward in China-Kazakhstan relations, Wang Yi said.

TASHKENT, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Thursday that China will continue to provide vaccines and other anti-epidemic materials to Kazakhstan, and help the country prevail over the pandemic.

Wang made the remarks during talks with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi.

He said the two sides should implement the consensus of the two heads of state, take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year as a new starting point, and make a new leap forward in China-Kazakhstan relations.

Workers transfer medical supplies from China in a warehouse at the Almaty International Airport in Almaty, Kazakhstan, April 2, 2020. (Kursiv Newspaper/Handout via Xinhua)

China, Wang said, is ready to join Kazakhstan in firmly supporting each other on major issues involving their respective core interests, take the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as the main line, and improve the architecture of their mutually beneficial cooperation so as to make the "pie" of their common interests bigger and bigger.

The two sides should implement the roadmap for bilateral cooperation on aligning the Silk Road Economic Belt with the New Economic Policy of the Bright Road, ensure the smooth implementation of key projects of bilateral capacity cooperation, and strengthen interconnectivity, said Wang.

Calling on the two sides to create new growth points in the fields of artificial intelligence, digital finance, e-commerce and green energy, he said that the two countries should deepen cultural, sports, education, tourism and youth exchanges, consolidate the friendly public opinion and social foundation of the two countries, and resist all kinds of external misinformation.

The origin tracing of the virus, Wang said, should be scientific and precise, and politicizing the origin tracing should be rejected.

Medical team members gather at Diwopu International Airport in Urumqi, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 9, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge)

For his part, Tleuberdi said Kazakhstan attaches great importance to the China-Kazakhstan Permanent Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and is willing to continue to deepen cooperation with China in various fields, actively participate in the joint construction of the BRI, and strengthen the alignment of the two countries' development strategies.

Kazakhstan stands ready to work with China to formulate cooperation plans for the next five years and vigorously strengthen cooperation in investment and finance, he said, thanking China for supporting Kazakhstan in its fight against the epidemic.

On the origin tracing issue, he said that the most important thing is to uphold the scientific approach, and Kazakhstan opposes politicizing the issue.