Gulnar Shaimergenova, Director, China Studies Center, Kazakhstan

Speech at Belt and Road Forum (BRF) in Beijing on April 25, 2019

My name is Gulnar, I represent China Studies Center from Kazakhstan. 

Today it is very fashionable to talk about Belt and Road in various aspects. Belt & Road have strong impact on global agenda and we can speak a lot about its dynamic and development. 

So as I have limited time for my speech today, I would briefly say that Kazakhstan-China model of cooperation is enough successful and drives BRI. 

So let’s talk about Belt & Road Initiative or modern Silk Way. 

We remember that reconstruction of Silk Road for short history from the end of twenty’s century had many different concepts. 

Those projects were launched by various states but today we see as all they failed. Why? Those concepts focused on connectivity were beautiful on the paper but unrealistic on practice. 

Why Belt and Road style of Silk Way became successful?

According to the topic of current session – I would underline some principles, which guide our bilateral cooperation in mutually beneficial way and promote BRI. 

The first. Mutual motivation to grow economically. 40 years ago being a poor country – China has started policy of openness and reforms and has become global economy number two. Today China is a global economic driver. Who could think of it four decades ago?  

Kazakhstan as well has started own way almost 30 years ago from ruined economy after collapse of USSR to one of the most promising developing states. Modern Kazakhstan is among top of 50 of the most competitive countries in the world. 

China and Kazakhstan are motivated to grow and BRI is a great platform to upgrade economic growth. 

And historical experience makes us similar in our efforts. And we build modern Silk Road to move ahead. So we hope Belt and Road Initiative to encourage other countries to grow and develop using huge capacity of rising cooperation. 

The second. Mutual respect and support. Kazakhstan and China are independent states and we both have own national interests. But we try to use friendly dialogue to find the ways, which take into account the interests of both countries. 

We have variety of bilateral commissions that work to coordinate and discuss any issues and plans we intent to realize. We both understand that compromise is good way for our countries and together we can do more that separately. 

That is a philosophy of modern Silk Way. 

BRI doesn’t press or doesn’t force any country to participate in cooperation. It’s flexibility allows to any state to participate as much as its ready for it. Soft approach makes BRI as very attractive. 

The third. Regional responsibility. Kazakhstan and China both take care about regional development and consider wider prosperity than just national. We share the same values – respect to our neighborhood and common responsibility for stable development. 

That’s why most of our initiatives launched by our countries have regional scale and inclusive for our neighbors. We can remember Shanghai Cooperation Organization that impacted much on regional stability and growth of regional trust. 

And Belt and Road Initiative is one more great example of our Kazakhstan and China partnership for regional benefit and development. And we see as our partnership makes great synergy when "one plus one is not two – but eleven". 

Connectivity of one hundred of BRI states is endless options for development. 

The fourth. Mutual understanding of the history. Once two thousands years ago – our nations Kazakhs and Chinese already had built Greater Silk Road that changed Eurasian economic and cultural landscape. 

It was a great history of trade, transfer of technology and penetration of various cultures. Our nations had lived in friendship for many hundreds of years. And Silk Road had lead our nations to prosperity. 

When Greater Silk Road movement finished – as Kazakhs, as Chinese had long dramatic history. And long time after President Xí Jìnpíng announced his Belt and Road initiative in Kazakhstan because he knew that he would be well understood and supported in our country.

And today 5 years and a half later we can see that BRI demonstrated huge capacity of development for more than one hundred of countries. We see human exchanges, growing trade, rise of infrastructure and multiple geo-economic impact. 

I expect that next coming years BRI will identify new options and directions of development. And these options will be announced by leaders tomorrow on the opening ceremony and discussions. 

DISCLAIMER 

The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the author(s) own, and not those of the Belt and Road Studies Network (BRSN).