Kazakhstan regards ties with China as diplomatic priority

Developing all-round ties with China is one of the priorities in Kazakhstan's foreign policy, as projected in the government work program for 2006-2008 signed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, official media said on Tuesday.

Kazakhstan will vigorously broaden and enrich economic and political cooperation with China and conduct political dialogue on international and regional security issues with China within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the report said.

The government program underlined pursuing a balanced pluralistic foreign policy of Kazakhstan, and developing ties with China, Russia, the United States, the European Union, neighboring countries in central Asia and Muslim countries.

Kazakhstan will develop strategic partnership with Russia on the basis of enhancing political dialogue and economic and trade cooperation, and strengthen economic cooperation with the U.S., according to the program.

Bilateral ties between Kazakhstan and China have maintained a strong momentum for growth in recent years. In July, Nazarbayev signed an agreement with Chinese President Hu Jintao to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.

In early March, Nazarbayev said in a State of the Union speech that it was an inevitable choice for Kazakhstan to develop mutually beneficial ties with such a fast rising country as China.

Source: Xinhua