Kazakhstan remains central to Beijing’s plans for belt and road as China sets sights on Europe

It was in Kazakhstan where Chinese President Xi Jinping first proposed the Belt and Road Initiative a decade ago – a move which has since seen Beijing bankroll billions of dollars worth of projects around the globe.

Now, the central Asian nation is again taking centre stage, with it expected to be a crucial part of the initiative’s next phase as Beijing’s ambitions turn to growing its influence in Europe, one of its key markets.

While meeting Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Beijing on Tuesday ahead of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Xi recalled that it was in Kazakhstan where he first put forward the idea for the Silk Road Economic Belt.

“China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to further facilitate trade and investment, and implement key investment cooperation projects in production capacity,” Xi said in the meeting. He also promised that China would “strengthen connectivity” and expand the scale of railroad freight transport between the two countries. Xi added that the China-Kazakhstan agreement on mutual visa exemption would also soon come into force.