Fang Hongwei, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and secretary of the CPC Xi'an Municipal Committee, led a delegation from Xi'an to Kazakhstan on Oct 26-30.

During the visit, the delegation carried out in-depth discussions with politicians and business figures in Kazakhstan, promoting deep and practical cooperation in various fields between Xi'an and Kazakhstan, and further integrating into the grand framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Fang met with Saparov Aidarbek, minister of agriculture of Kazakhstan, Berdalin Amangalyi, vice-minister of agriculture of Kazakhstan, and Arman Zhudebayev, vice-minister of culture and information of Kazakhstan.

Fang expressed his commitment to expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan in various fields, such as trade, industry, technology, education, healthcare, agriculture, culture and tourism.

The Kazakh side expressed a desire to strengthen cooperation with Xi'an, praising the successful first China-Central Asia Summit held in Xi'an and the city's unique urban charm, and expressing their desire for mutually beneficial development.

From January to September of this year, trade between Xi'an and Kazakhstan exceeded 500 million yuan ($68.33 million), an increase of 28.66 percent compared to the same period last year.

To further enhance bilateral trade, Fang met with Nurlan Sauranbayev, chairman of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company, as well as relevant officials from the copper and zinc industries.

Both sides hope to strengthen exchanges and deepen cooperation in areas such as logistics channels, improve the efficiency of the China-Europe Chang'an freight train, and establish a commodity trading center.

On Oct 27, Fang and the vice chairman of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy National Company jointly attended the launch ceremony of the China-Kazakhstan Logistics Station project in Almaty. When completed, the project will complement the Kazakhstan Terminal project in Xi'an, creating an efficient logistics corridor between the two countries.

On Oct 28, Fang met with Gabit Syzdykbekov, mayor of Chemkent. They signed a memorandum of friendly cooperation and exchanges and visited local enterprises together.

At the Xi'an Aiju Agricultural Product Logistics Processing Park in the North Kazakhstan region, Fang inspected the planning, construction, and operation of the park. He commended the enterprise for its exploration of a new model for food security supply chains.

Together with Rustem Kurmanov, deputy governor of North Kazakhstan region, Fang unveiled the Xi'an-North Kazakhstan Economic and Trade Cooperation Park and talked with Chinese and Kazakh entrepreneurs at the Xi'an-North Kazakhstan Region Economic and Trade Symposium.

In addition, on Oct 30, a signing ceremony was held for the five Xi'an-Astana economic and trade cooperation projects worth $266 million. The agreements cover areas such as imports of feedstock, exports of pesticides, exports of second-hand cars, and the entry of outward-oriented enterprises into digital service platforms.