BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 25. Kazakhstan and China have formed a portfolio of 260 major joint industrial projects with a total value exceeding $62 billion, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the Kazakhstan-China Investment Forum in Almaty today.
According to the president’s press service, Tokayev said Chinese companies were participating in the development of an automotive cluster in Almaty, the creation of silicon production in the Karaganda region, as well as projects in metallurgy, petrochemicals and energy storage systems.
The first projects aimed at optimizing and restoring low-productivity oil wells are also being launched, he said.
In the Aktobe region, a special industrial zone is being established on a pilot basis with Chinese company Jinyi Holding Group and will operate in accordance with international standards, Tokayev added.
He also highlighted the development of cooperation in the agro-industrial sector, including projects by Lihua, Fufeng and Dalian Hesheng Holdings in creating a vertically integrated cotton and textile cluster and deep processing of corn and grain.
“These are a good basis for moving our partnership to a new level – from implementing individual investment projects to forming full-fledged production ecosystems with joint access to the markets of Central Asian countries, the Eurasian Economic Union, the South Caucasus and Europe. In this regard, I propose launching the Kazakh-Chinese program ‘Common History Destiny. Designed and Made in Both China and Kazakhstan.’ The Government should jointly with Chinese partners form a pool of promising projects and promptly begin their implementation,” Tokayev said.
Particular attention in Tokayev’s speech was also given to digitalization. He stressed that Kazakhstan was open to cooperation with all leading technology centers worldwide.
“This year, Kazakhstan became one of the founding members of the World Organization for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence, thereby becoming part of a new international platform for technological cooperation. This initiative belongs to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Kazakhstan is interested in technology transfer and the establishment of joint engineering and research centers. We attach great importance to training a new generation of specialists. We plan to open the first Kazakh-Chinese School of Artificial Intelligence in our capital. Alatau City is becoming a vivid embodiment of our fruitful technological partnership. This large-scale project is designed to become a major center of business activity connecting China, Central Asia and Europe,” Tokayev said.
