China, Kazakhstan sign agreement to strengthen railway transport cooperation

China and Kazakhstan signed an agreement here Monday night on further cooperation in railway transport, opening a new page in railway cooperation between the two countries.

Chinese Minister of Railways Liu Zhijun and Kazakh Minister of Transport and Communication Kazhmurat Nagmanov signed the agreement at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Chinese President Hu Jintao and visiting Kazakh President Nazarbayev witnessed the signing ceremony.

According to the agreement, China and Kazakhstan will further cooperate in the railway transport sector in the future based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit and in line with the laws of each country and the international treaties joined by the two countries.

The two countries agreed to further develop direct international passenger and freight transport and trans-border transport. Container train transport linking the two countries andat the border will also be promoted.

Both sides will also strengthen research and regulations on the development of railway stations at the border, further improve transport services and freight price system of the trans-border passenger and freight transport, and conduct more cooperation on science and technology in the railway transport sector.

According to the agreement, the Kazakh side will help the Chinese Ministry of Railways set up a branch office in Kazakhstan, since the Kazakh railway sector has set up a branch office in Beijing.

China and Kazakhstan will take turns to host a conference on railway cooperation every year, said the agreement.

China and Kazakhstan started international railway transport through the Alataw Pass at the border on Dec. 1, 1992.

With the joint efforts of both governments and both railway sectors, the total freight transported each year through the Alataw Pass surged 12 times from 570,000 tons in 1993 to 7.52 million tons in 2003. And both sides expected that the figure would go up to 9.2 million tons in 2004.

The Kazakh side plans to start building a railway linking China with Europe. With a total length of 3,083 kilometers, the railway will go across Kazakhstan, which will not only expand Kazakhstan's connections with its neighbors, but also close economic and trade cooperation between China and Kazakhstan.

Kazhmurat Nagmanov briefed the Chinese Ministry of Railways on the railway project during his visit to China last month, and the Chinese side expressed willingness to give full support to it.

Source: Xinhua