China, Kazakhstan to further promote synergy of BRI, Kazakh economic policy: ambassador

China and Kazakhstan will continue to promote high-quality alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Bright Path new economic policy, Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao said Friday.

Two-way trade is expected to reach a new record of more than 20 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, Zhang said at a reception for representatives of business circles from China and Kazakhstan, adding that a number of important industrial projects have been launched.

In the Kyzylorda Region, a new Chinese-Kazakh cement plant, with designed annual production of 1 million tons of clinker cement, has been put into operation. Next year, a joint glass plant that is designed to produce about 200,000 tons of world-class float glass each year will be set up.

A steel pipe factory will also be put into operation in Almaty in 2020, at a capacity of 100,000 tons per year, said the ambassador.

Zhang added that the preparatory work for establishing a chamber of Chinese entrepreneurs is underway so as to promote business cooperation between the two countries.

Arman Abenov, director of QazTrade, a trade body under the Ministry of Trade and Integration, urged Kazakh producers to increase access to the Chinese market. "This is a huge market."

Abenov said Kazakhstan's meat and flour products are of high quality and in great demand, and Kazakhstan should increase exports to the Chinese market.