(BRF)2nd LD-Writethru: Xi calls for strengthened strategic coordination between China, Kazakhstan

President Xi Jinping said Sunday that China is willing to strengthen strategic coordination and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with Kazakhstan.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

Noting this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Kazakhstan, Xi said China is willing to work with the neighbor in pushing their comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level and broader domain.

He called on the two sides to strengthen law enforcement cooperation and crack down on the forces of separatism, terrorism and extremism.

China supports Kazakhstan in playing a bigger role in affairs related to international peace and security, and is willing to deepen cooperation under the frameworks of the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, Xi said.

Xi proposed the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in Kazakhstan and Indonesia respectively in 2013, which later evolved into the Belt and Road Initiative.

The initiative has won support from more than 100 countries and international organizations, including Kazakhstan, Xi said, noting that, in the past four years, China and Kazakhstan cooperated actively on joint Belt and Road projects.

Xi added that China is willing to work with Kazakhstan on the Belt and Road for the benefit of the people of the two nations.

Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative, and will actively align it with the nation's Bright Road initiative.

Kazakhstan is willing to deepen cooperation with China in such areas as trade, agriculture, mining industry, railway, and technology, he said, adding that it wants to closely cooperate with China on international and regional security and development issues, and boost the development of the SCO.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also met with Nazarbayev Sunday, saying that China is willing to spur development of cross-border transportation, boost cooperation in areas including industrial capacity, cross-border trade, finance, and increase people-to-people exchanges.

Li added China supports Kazakhstan in hosting the 2017 World Expo in Astana.

Nazarbayev said the nation's Bright Road initiative has dovetailed the Belt and Road, with obvious achievements, stressing that the bilateral cooperation on industrial capacity is very important for Kazakhstan to boost its industrialization.

He said he hopes more projects could be included in the framework of industrial capacity cooperation, calling for strengthened cooperation on transportation infrastructure, energy and processing of agricultural products.

Kazakhstan attaches great importance to holding the Chinese Year of Tourism this year, and supports China in staging activities during the 2017 World Expo in Astana, Nazarbayev said. Endi