This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan. Over the past 20 years, the relations between the two countries have gained a healthy and rapid development and become a model in the region and the world. Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhou Li gave an exclusive interview to China.org.cn and answered questions about bilateral ties and activities to be held to celebrate the 20-year milestone.

China.org.cn: Could you please comment on the China- Kazakhstan relationship and their cooperative achievements in 2011?

Zhou Li: The past year is a milestone of bilateral ties. Both sides made great achievements in fields like politics, economy and trade, energy, culture, security and international affairs. In June, President Hu Jintao and President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared to develop an all-round strategic partnership for China and Kazakhstan. The bilateral relationship has entered a new stage.

Leaders from the two countries, including presidents, parliament and party chairmen, ministers and chief procurator generals, exchanged visits in 2011. From January to November, the bilateral trade volume had reached US$22.519 billion, up 22.59 percent over the same period last year. Road construction linking West China and West Europe was fully under way. Both sides also agreed to swap currency to promote stability of local currencies in bilateral trade. China will help to construct the Alma Ata-Astana high-speed railway in Kazakhstan. The Horgos International Borders Cooperation Center, the first of its kind in Eurasia, had started operation not long ago. This center is a strategic project designed and promoted by President Hu Jintao and President Nazarbayev. It will enhance communication on economy, technology and culture and bring development opportunities to the border regions.

In 2011, the two sides held arts performances, exhibitions and the "China Xinjiang Cultural Week." In July, the third Confucius Institute was established in Kazakhstan, opening another window for local people to know Chinese and Chinese culture. On international affairs, both countries strengthened cooperation at the platforms like the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and other international or regional institutions.

China.org.cn: Could you comment on the development of politics, economy, security, culture and science between China and Kazakhstan in the past 20 years?

Zhou Li: The China-Kazakhstan ties have stood up to various tests. Mutual trust is the basis of bilateral ties. Neither country has any unresolved political issues with the other. They resolved boundary questions and signed "China-Kazakhstan Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation," "China-Kazakhstan Cooperative Strategy in the 21th Century" and almost 200 other documents. Both countries bear the overall interests and friendship in mind when dealing with their relations, demonstrate mutual understanding and support each other on important issues concerning their core interests. Top leaders of both sides have established good partnership and friendship and attach weight to bilateral ties. So far, President Nazarbayev has visited China 17 times, while President Hu Jintao reciprocated with seven trips to Kazakhstan.

Their economic cooperation has also been fruitful. Bilateral trade volume last year was more than 50 times of the figures in the early period of the two country's diplomatic relations. China has become the largest trading partner of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is China's second largest trade partner in the Commonwealth of Independent States and the third largest destination of China's overseas investment. Both countries set a goal to reach US$40 billion in trade volume by 2015. Their achievements are demonstrated by many projects such as China's first cross-border oil pipeline, first cross-border gas pipeline, first frontier economic cooperation zone – Horgos International Borders Cooperation Center – the biggest hydroelectric power station since the independence of Kazakhstan and the first Electrolytic Aluminum plant in Kazakhstan. Economic cooperation has set a solid basis for both sides to develop an overall strategic partnership.

As for security, accelerating economic development and increasing people's livelihood are the shared tasks for China and Kazakhstan governments when facing various security threats and challenges. Both sides will continuously consolidate cooperation between law enforcements, enhance communication of related departments and cooperation on large scale joint security projects, deepen cooperation within the framework of SCO and CICA as well as crack down drug trafficking and other transnational organized crimes. Meanwhile, China and Kazakhstan will promote regional integration, establish security and cooperative mechanisms on energy, finance and food for a peace, stable and common development in their countries and regions.

Both sides also kept up deepening communication and exchanges in culture, health, sports and the media. Kazakhstan students in China outnumber all other foreign students from Central Asia. In 2010, 7,874 Kazakhstan students studied in China. And Chinese students in Kazakhstan totaled 1,500. There are now three Confucius Institutes in Kazakhstan.

The vitality of the China-Kazakhstan ties lies in both people's common interests and the need for an environment for stable development. Here I want to emphasize that both sides benefit from the cooperation and have formed a win-win relationship. In this partnership, neither side is more important than the other, nor does one rise while the other deprives. The partnership is good for regional and world peace, security and stability.