ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 3. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has received Chairman of the Board of Directors of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Dai Houliang, Trend reports.
During the meeting, the prospects for further cooperation between Kazakhstan and CNPC in the oil and gas industry were discussed.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev drew his interlocutor’s attention to the importance of continuing work on exploration and production of hydrocarbons, and also noted the special significance for Kazakhstan of the project to expand the production capacity of the Shymkent Refinery.
In addition, issues of gas export to China and the construction project of a new line of the Beineu-Bozoi-Shymkent gas pipeline, as well as prospects for expanding the export of Kazakh oil to China, were discussed.
The growth in trade turnover between Kazakhstan and China over the first six months of 2023 amounted to 20 percent. Its share in the country's foreign trade turnover exceeded a fifth.
Trade turnover between China and Kazakhstan from January through June amounted to $13.6 billion, which is 20.5 percent more than last year. Exports to China decreased by 3 percent, to $6.3 billion, or 16.7 percent of total exports, while imports, on the contrary, increased by 53 percent, to $7.3 billion, or 24.8 percent of total imports.
