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Xinjiang
ChinaDiplomacy

Xinjiang Communist Party boss ventures to Kazakhstan on trade mission

  • Ma Xingrui meets leaders of the Central Asian nation on his first trip abroad since taking the top regional job
  • It is unusual for Xinjiang chiefs to make such visits – Ma’s predecessor made none

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Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (right) greets Xinjiang Communist Party boss Ma Xingrui in Astana on Monday. Photo: AFP
Jack Lau
The Communist Party chief of Xinjiang in China’s far west is making a rare trip abroad, heading a delegation visiting neighbouring Kazakhstan on a trade mission.
In talks in Astana on Monday, Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov told the group, led by Xinjiang Communist Party chief Ma Xingrui, that Kazakhstan would streamline cargo traffic into China by removing bottlenecks at border checkpoints.

“Given the task set by the two heads of state to increase trade turnover to US$35 billion by 2030, mutual trade between Kazakhstan and Xinjiang becomes even more important,” Smailov said.

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“We are ready to work together with our Chinese colleagues on this ambitious goal.”

He said trade between China and Kazakhstan grew by 34 per cent to exceed US$24 billion last year, the highest in 30 years, and Kazakhstan would increase its goods exports to China by US$1 billion for 135 types of goods – items that were not specified in a statement from his office.

01:36

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Kazakhstan on first trip abroad since pandemic began

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Kazakhstan on first trip abroad since pandemic began

It is Ma’s first trip outside of China since taking office in December 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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