Chinese diplomats joined faculty members and students from Kazakhstan at Turan University in Almaty on 29 October 2026 for a roundtable titled ‘Reading Together, Talking About the Future’. Organized by the Chinese Consulate General in Almaty and the university, the meeting drew on a Russian-language book about governance in China under Xi Jinping to discuss Chinese modernization, social policy and relations between the two countries.
Turan University Rector Rakhman Alshanov and Chinese Consul General in Almaty Su Fangqiu welcomed the participants. In his address, Su connected the discussion of the book to a practical question: how government decisions affect people’s everyday lives.
Su said the book’s essays, real-life accounts and documentary photographs show how China’s strategic goals are put into practice. He identified public well-being, the standards the ruling party sets for itself and each country’s choice of its own development path as central themes.
‘Every country’s path is shaped by its history and national circumstances. China has found its own path and respects the choices of other peoples, including Kazakhstan’s own path of development,’ the consul general said.
Su linked the quality of governance to the circumstances of ordinary people, arguing that policies should be judged by whether they improve people’s lives. The book explores this theme through accounts of poverty reduction, development in remote communities and support for families.
Turning to Kazakhstan–China relations, Su spoke about mutual trust, understanding each other’s priorities and ties between people. Universities, in this context, give future professionals opportunities to learn about a neighboring country through study, research and direct conversations with its representatives.
Addressing the students, the consul general encouraged them to form their own views of China by studying there, taking part in exchanges and traveling. He welcomed the independent perspectives young readers bring to the book.
‘Young people approach this book with their own views, their own questions and, at times, doubts — and that is what matters most,’ Su said.
The university’s contributions covered several aspects of contemporary China. Dina Razakova, Vice-Rector for Strategic Development, Science and Innovation, examined how to govern in the present while addressing the needs of the future. Professor Altynay Mukhambedyarova discussed China’s foreign policy philosophy, Xi Jinping’s initiatives and the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity.
Nurbolat Nyshanbaev, director of the university’s Higher School of International Relations and Diplomacy, addressed Chinese modernization within Xi Jinping’s political philosophy.
Students also presented their own papers. Samal Akhmet discussed China’s environmental transformation and its transition to green modernization. Alikhan Kalibek focused on people-centered governance, with particular attention to social policy and poverty reduction.
Presentations by Chinese diplomats explored changes in China’s development, the enduring principles of its policies and the future of cooperation with Kazakhstan.
One presentation, on what is changing in China and what remains constant, examined the country’s development through changes in everyday life. Examples included better transport links in rural areas, opportunities to sell local products online and the expansion of solar energy. Environmental policy was discussed in relation to air quality and the restoration of natural areas.
Alongside these changes, the presentation identified principles that the Chinese side regards as enduring priorities: improving public well-being, accountability in government and a commitment to peaceful development.
The gathering at Turan was the fifth meeting in a reading program described by the Chinese participants. The initiative also includes online discussions and brings together teachers, students, journalists and other readers.
The closing part of the event included an awards ceremony and the presentation of certificates. The fifth volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was then introduced, and participants posed for a group photograph.
