Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi said on Thursday in Astana that relations between China and Kazakhstan have entered a new stage.

When meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov, Wu said that during a visit to Kazakhstan last week, Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev decided to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and had reached important consensus on boosting bilateral cooperation.

The two sides have great potential of cooperation in various sectors, such as economy, trade, energy sources, transportation and infrastructure, she noted.

China and Kazakhstan should effectively boost their cooperation, especially giving impetus to the development of some important projects, on the basis of the strategic partnership to advance the realization of a goal set by the two presidents -- bilateral trade hitting 10 billion US dollars by 2010, Wu added.

The Chinese vice premier also reiterated China's support for Kazakhstan's efforts to join the World Trade Organization.

Akhmetov, on his part, said the establishment of the strategic partnership between Kazakhstan and China directs their cooperation in various fields and is conducive to stability and development in Central Asia.

Kazakhstan is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in the fields of trade, economy, energy, mining and transportation and provide favorable conditions for Chinese enterprises to invest in the country.

Wu and Akhmetov also exchanged views on regional situations and cooperation in the multilateral sector.

Kazakhstan is the first leg of Wu's four-nation Central Asia tour, which will also take her to Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Source: Xinhua