An agricultural industrial park built by a Chinese enterprise in Kazakhstan's North Kazakhstan Region, also an iconic cooperation project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has brought huge socioeconomic development to the region.
The Aiju Agricultural Product Logistics Processing Park, invested by the Xi'an Aiju Grain and Oil Industrial Group, was officially put into operation in Kazakhstan at the end of 2016.
For staff member Manshuk Zarhan, the establishment of the industrial park has greatly improved her life. Her work starts with quality inspection of rapeseed and rapeseed oil every day.
"We use this probe to select samples for quality check. We need to select samples in several layers. We collect the rapeseed at about 40 centimeters deep. We need to collect 200 milliliters of sample, then we measure the oleic acid content and moisture content in the sample in the laboratory," said Zarhan, laboratory chief of the park.
Since 2016, the Aiju Group has promoted an order-based agricultural planting mode in Kazakhstan. Relying on the demands of the vast Chinese market, the company provides Kazakh farmers with customized planting orders at guaranteed purchase prices, which has helped the farmers increase their incomes and expand their exports.
The Chinese side has also launched a China-Europe freight train route for transporting locally produced goods and is continuously expanding its capacity.
Currently, the transportation time for wheat and other raw materials from Kazakhstan to Xi'an City, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province has been shortened from 25 days to 10 days, and the train's capacity has increased from 1,066 tons to 1,612 tons per trip.
"We originally invested in building three railway lines, and the fourth is under construction. After the completion of four railways, three freight trains can stop there, and plus the distribution center, we can store or provide 200 to 300 containers for special freight trains. This forms a system that can meet all needs of loading and shipping in railway transportation," said Jia Heyi, head of the Chinese enterprise.
According to Zarhan, eight years ago, upon learning about the construction of the China-Kazakhstan cooperation park, she promptly decided to move here with her family.
"We used to live nearby, and for the 10 years before we moved in, my husband was always on business trips. The kids were very young, and he couldn't be with them as they grew up. Then we moved here and finally we could work for the same company. I was the lab manager, and he was the raw material receiver," she said.
The project has created jobs for more than 1,500 people in the region and changed the lives of many local people.
"The welfare facilities here are very good. Housing is provided for employees. The new houses are built by the company. Dormitories, transportation and meals are also provided," said Marmite, a laboratory technician at the logistics and processing park.
China-Kazakhstan agricultural cooperation park boosts local socioeconomic development
China-Kazakhstan agricultural cooperation park boosts local socioeconomic development
China has pledged deeper ties with its neighbors to foster common development and stability, following a central conference on work related to neighboring countries, which saw Chinese ambassadors from around the region gather in Beijing this week.
The diplomats and experts attending the conference said the country is working to promote regional collaboration amid growing global uncertainties, strengthening its ties with its neighbors in a way that takes account of both the regional and the global context.
"The trade volume between China and Malaysia reached 212 billion U.S. dollars [in 2024], marking an 11.4 percent year-on-year increase. A large number of infrastructure projects including highways, bridges, ports, terminals and hydropower stations are being implemented across Malaysia. China-Malaysia cooperation epitomizes the broader collaboration between China and ASEAN. We are confident that under the strategic guidance of both countries' leaders, bilateral relations will reach new heights," said Ouyang Yujing, Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia.
"ASEAN and China are geographically close and culturally connected, making ASEAN our important partner for development cooperation. Our combined population exceeds 2 billion, representing a massive market with sustained rapid economic growth in recent years and promising prospects," said Hou Yanqi, Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN.
Other Chinese diplomats said China was being guided by the principles of amity, security, prosperity and win-win cooperation, to promote a shared future with neighboring countries, using its own development to spur regional growth.
This vision has led to concrete achievements, with a consensus on a shared future agreed with 17 neighboring states, Belt and Road cooperation agreements in effect with 25, and 18 regional nations now counting China as their largest trade partner. These deepening political and economic ties have cleared a path toward warm neighborly relations and mutual prosperity, according to other ambassadors.
"China has established comprehensive strategic partnerships with all Central Asian countries and signed Belt and Road cooperation documents. We are jointly committed to building a community with a shared future," said Han Chunlin, China's Ambassador to Kazakhstan.
"The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as a pioneering project of the Belt and Road Initiative, has attracted over 25 billion U.S. dollars in direct investment and created 230,000 jobs. It has not only elevated China-Pakistan cooperation but also contributed to Pakistan's economic and social development," said Jiang Zaidong, the Chinese Ambassador in Pakistan.
As the global challenges brought by unilateralism and economic protectionism grow, China remains steadfast in advancing its vision of a shared future, strengthening partnerships with neighboring countries to anchor stability and renew hope, according to China's permanent representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong.
"We must steadfastly uphold fairness and justice, adhere to true multilateralism, safeguard the interests of developing countries, maintain the authority of international law, and firmly oppose 'might makes right'," he said.
"Our world has become highly interdependent. Attempts at 'decoupling' or forced division are not only impossible but also go against historical trends. We must promote shared development through global cooperation. This represents the true exemplar of major-country responsibility," said Wang Fan, president of China Foreign Affairs University.
China pledges deeper cooperation with neighbors to foster stability
