Chinese ambassador to Kazakhstan expects Xi's visit to boost ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Kazakhstan will be his third visit to Astana since taking office in 2013. Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Hanhui expects the visit to strengthen bilateral ties.

China and Kazakhstan have established diplomatic ties for

25 years,

the bilateral relations have developed in leaps and bounds as both countries are now comprehensive strategic partners. In fact, the establishment of the Belt and Road Initiative happened in Astana—where President Xi first proposed a "new Silk Road" with Central Asia in 2013.

Kazakhstan was one of the earliest supporters of the initiative. President Nursultan Nazarbayev, together with many other world leaders, visited China last month for the high-profile Belt and Road Forum. The two nations have established wide-ranging cooperation in fields like energy, trade and infrastructure under the initiative.

But this visit involves more than just bilateral ties and economic cooperation. President Xi will also attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, and that perhaps will attract more attention, in the wake of the latest terror attack in London.

The SCO, now including eight Eurasian member countries, aims to strengthen cooperation in security and maintain peace and stability in the region. Ambassador Zhang says China is seeking closer cooperation with other SCO members against terrorism.

(CGTN)