Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Astana for his first state visit to Kazakhstan, after attending a Group of 20 summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

President Xi said that China-Kazakhstan relations have brought concrete benefits to the two peoples, and have served as a fine example of good-neighborliness, equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation in the international community.

According to a joint declaration issued on Saturday, China and Kazakhstan agreed to boost their cooperation in energy, trade, security, and law enforcement. The two sides signed 22 agreements worth a total of around 30 billion US dollars, including several deals in the key oil and gas sector.

In a speech at Nazarbayev University, President Xi proposed that China and Central Asia boost cooperation further by joining together to build a Silk Road economic belt.

Following his stop in Kazakhstan, the Chinese president will head to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan for state visits. While in Kyrgyzstan’s capital of Bishkek, President Xi will also attend the 13th meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

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