The close ties between China and Kazakhstan today can be traced back to the friendly and smooth establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1992, with a former Kazakh official recalling the good "neighborly" relationship which was struck up between the two countries right from the start.
Toleutay Suleimenov, who served as Kazakhstan's first minister of foreign affairs, shared the story of how ties were initially formed with China in a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Suleimenov recalled the dawn of Kazakhstan's independence in the early 90s, saying that establishing diplomatic and economic relations with China was an important historical move for the Kazakh side.
"It was a difficult time, December 1991. It was a so-called parade of sovereignties. The Soviet Union had just collapsed, and we became an independent state. We were on our own, figuring out how to survive. We had no money in the treasury, and all our economic and trade ties were broken. And, of course, we looked around to see who we could establish diplomatic and economic relations with. We turned to our neighbors and chose the People's Republic of China. First, we share a long border of more than 2,000 kilometers. We had good neighborly relations and no conflicts. We declared independence on December 16th, and by January 3, 1992, the first Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from China arrived. We held negotiations with him, discussed various aspects, and established diplomatic relations," he said.
Suleimenov said the process of establishing ties with China went smoothly, thanks largely to the friendly response of the Chinese government, with the two countries soon putting key agreements in place.
"There were hardly any difficulties. Our colleagues from China were very friendly. They welcomed our independence and sovereignty. They expressed a desire to build equal relations in politics, trade, economy, and cultural and humanitarian areas, which we found very appealing. From there, our interactions began and were very productive. I made the first official visit to China as a minister. We signed over 10 bilateral agreements covering economics, trade, cultural exchange, and politics. The Premier of the State Council of China welcomed us," he said.
Ties between the two countries are in the spotlight as President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan for a state visit on Tuesday, where he will attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
China, Kazakhstan enjoy "good neighborly relations" ever since establishing ties: former official
