A researcher works at the China-Kazakhstan Joint Laboratory of Agricultural Sciences in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

Edited by TANG Zhexiao

On the eve of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping's attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, and his state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have shown the importance that China attaches to the SCO and relations with the two countries.

Noting both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are China's friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners, as well as being important countries along the Belt and Road, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the two countries three decades ago, they have always followed the principles of mutual respect, good-neighborliness, friendship, mutual assistance, win-win cooperation, and advanced bilateral ties toward new heights.

The profound changes in the international landscape and the pandemic have further stressed the role SCO plays in upholding regional stability and promoting countries' development and prosperity, Mao said at a regular news briefing.

An article published in the Diplomat quoted the spokesman of Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Aibek Smadiyarov, who said: "The uniqueness of this visit is that Kazakhstan is the first country that the Chinese leader will visit since the start of the pandemic. For us, for Kazakhstan, this is a great honor."

According to Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhang Xiao, the visit to Kazakhstan will open up another "golden" 30 years of China-Kazakhstan relations.

Over the past two decades, the two countries have always upheld the "Shanghai spirit," (values and guidelines for the SCO) maintained close communication and collaboration within the SCO framework, and facilitated cooperation among SCO countries in various fields, said Zhang.

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, the rapid development of China-Kazakh interconnection has made an important contribution to the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, with bilateral trade turnover reached 13.5 billion USD in the first seven months of this year, 38.3 percent more than in the same period of 2021, according to data from the Kazakh State Revenue Committee.

Interconnection between China and Kazakhstan in scientific cooperation also has been deepened. In 2018, the two countries agreed to combine their knowledge and resources for scientific cooperation.

On September 20, 2021, Xinjiang Zhongya Internet Incubator Co., Ltd. signed an agreement with the Kazakhstan Science Foundation and the Kazakhstan Parasat Science and Technology Center, to jointly promote technology transfer, and technology cooperation between China and Kazakhstan.

For Kazakhstan, cooperation with China is, "A chance to capitalize on the country's enormous progress in tech and innovations," said Iskander Akylbayev, chief research officer at the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies, told to The Astana Times, adding that China is one of the world's leaders in technology and innovations.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Uzbekistan.

Wang Zhigang, China's minister of science and technology, said via a video meeting on June 21, that under the framework of the Subcommittee on Science and Technology Cooperation of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee, the two sides have achieved productive results in policy exchange, joint R&D, and joint construction of cooperation platforms.

Most notably, the two sides have achieved significant progress in the R&D of COVID vaccines and drugs in the last two years, said Wang.

Shavkat Salikhov, director of the Institute of Bio-organic Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, also a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and recipient of China's highest state honor, the Friendship Medal in 2019, said Chinese scientists have reached great heights, which can compete with the best scientists and scientific centers in the world. "Our joint cooperation is already producing initial results," said Salikhov.

Forecasts predict the two sides will strengthen top-level exchanges in science, technology and innovation cooperation, deepen practical cooperation in biomedicine, ecological and environmental protection, artificial intelligence and other fields in the SCO, and other multilateral frameworks, according to Uzbek Ambassador to China Farhod Arziev.