In an exclusive article for DKNews.kz, Mr. Lü Yi, Acting Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Almaty, sums up the results of 2025 in Kazakhstan–China relations and explains how the strategic dialogue between the leaders of the two countries, record trade levels, joint projects and people-to-people exchanges are taking the partnership to a new level.
Writing a New Chapter in the History of Kazakhstan–China Relations Together
In 2025, under the strategic guidance of the heads of both states, Kazakhstan–China relations continued to develop in a stable and sustainable way. Cooperation in political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres deepened step by step. Despite a complex and rapidly changing international environment, our relationship has become a model of good-neighbourliness, friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between neighboring countries — bringing more tangible benefits to the peoples of both nations.
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Strategic Leadership Helps Build Consensus
In June 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Astana to attend the Second China–Central Asia Summit. In August, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit and commemorative events marking the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
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Over the year, the two leaders met twice, jointly outlining the strategic course for the development of Kazakhstan–China relations. Political mutual trust between the two sides continues to strengthen. China and Kazakhstan firmly support each other on issues relating to their core interests. The Kazakh side reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the One-China principle, while the Chinese side firmly supports Kazakhstan’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and its independently chosen development path. Both countries consistently support cooperation in international and multilateral affairs, making meaningful contributions to peace, stability and development in the region.
Practical Cooperation Drives Development
According to Chinese statistics, from January to November 2025, bilateral trade between China and Kazakhstan reached USD 43.8 billion — up 9.3 percent year on year — once again hitting a historic high.
Zakon.kz/Maxim Zolotukhin, pexels
During the year, new sister-city relationships were established, including between Shanghai and Almaty, opening a new page in the high-quality development of interregional cooperation. The “China (Xi’an) – Kazakhstan” logistics terminal officially began operations, construction started on the second track of the Dostyk–Moyynty railway line, and the capacity of China–Europe transport corridors continued to grow. The CITIC Construction road reconstruction project was completed, and construction of YTO Express’s multimodal logistics hub in Central Asia successfully began.
More and more Chinese automobile brands are entering the Kazakh market, cross-border electronic payment systems are being upgraded, and agricultural cooperation has achieved significant results. The “China–Kazakhstan” nanosatellite jointly developed by Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Northwestern Polytechnical University of China was successfully launched into orbit for rapid Earth remote sensing. All this clearly shows that the high-quality joint development of the Belt and Road Initiative is moving forward steadily.
Bringing People Closer: A New Chapter in Cultural and Humanitarian Exchanges
In 2025, the two sides jointly celebrated the 120th anniversary of the birth of Xian Xinghai, attended the reopening of his restored monument and the adjacent square in Almaty, and welcomed the first China–Central Asia international cultural tourism train on the Xi’an–Almaty route.
JSC "Passenger Transportation"
The third Luban Workshop officially opened at ALT University named after Mukhamedzhan Tynyshpayev. A joint “Digital Technology and Robotics” institute and Robotics Center were launched at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, giving new momentum to educational cooperation.
Events such as the “Xi’an–Almaty Cultural and Tourism Exchange Week,” the “Hometown of Confucius – Hospitable Shandong” cultural presentation, the “Peking Opera Cultural Tour,” the Audiovisual Beijing event “Silk Road Bond – Shared Brilliance of Beijing and Almaty,” as well as the “Xinjiang Is a Wonderful Place” series added vibrant highlights to the Year of Chinese Tourism in Kazakhstan.
The exhibitions “Chinese Art of Ideas: Masterpieces from the National Art Museum of China” and “Magnificent China: The Art and Beauty of Xinjiang” were successfully held in Almaty. Air China, China Eastern and China Southern opened new air routes between China and Kazakhstan, building new, solid bridges of friendship between peoples.
2026: Marking 34 Years of Diplomatic Relations
The year 2026 marks the 34th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan. Recently, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was successfully held, and the implementation of the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan will begin on schedule, opening a new chapter in Chinese-style modernization.
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Kazakhstan continues to advance reforms and will undoubtedly achieve new successes on the path toward building a “Just Kazakhstan.” As President Xi Jinping emphasized at his meeting with President Tokayev, “China and Kazakhstan are at a crucial stage of national development and rejuvenation — fellow travelers on the road to modernization.”
The Consulate General stands ready to work together with partners from all walks of life in Kazakhstan to actively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, to write a new chapter in the history of the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kazakhstan, and to jointly build an even closer Kazakhstan–China community with a shared future.
As the Year of the Horse begins, we sincerely wish the peoples of both countries success — and Kazakhstan–China relations strong, dynamic progress.
