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.