NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — During a meeting with heads of foreign diplomatic missions in Kazakhstan on November 26, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the development of strategic partnership with China is very important for his country, Xinhua news agency reported.
Kazakhstan supports China’s Belt and Road Initiative and actively participates in this large-scale project, Tokayev said at the meeting.
This comes as social attitudes towards China have deteriorated in Kazakhstan amid China’s growing economic presence and influence in the Central Asian country in recent years, resulting in a rise of anti-Chinese sentiment among ordinary Kazakhs. This attitude is also largely caused by Beijing’s repressive policies towards the Muslim population of China’s Xinjiang, including ethnic Kazakhs living in the northwestern Chinese region.
Tokayev said to foreign diplomats that “the priority of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy is with Russia, China, the U.S., the European Union countries and Central Asian countries,” adding that Kazakhstan is open for international cooperation and will continue constructive and balanced interaction with strategic partners and all interested countries.
Tokayev said Kazakhstan promotes and supports constructive initiatives conducive to regional and global stability. It considers strengthening Asian and Eurasian security as its primary task by preventing nuclear and terrorism threats.
Tokayev also said that meetings with the diplomatic community are a good tradition to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation and emphasized that Kazakhstan’s foreign policy is also tasked with attracting quality foreign investment.
