On Sept. 7, 2013, local time, President Xi Jinping attended the founding ceremony of the China-Kazakhstan Entrepreneurs Committee in Astana, together with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The two heads of state delivered speeches respectively.

Xi Jinping extended congratulations on the establishment of the China-Kazakhstan Entrepreneurs Committee. Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Kazakhstan are important partners, with great achievements in pragmatic cooperation. China is Kazakhstan's biggest trade partner, and Kazakhstan is China's biggest investment destination in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) area. China and Kazakhstan jointly built the first crude oil imports pipeline on land, and the first international border cooperation center on the land frontier. China helped Kazakhstan build its first large-scale hydropower station since it became independent. These cooperation achievements have not only brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries, but also provided unremitting power for the development of China-Kazakhstan relations.

The China-Kazakhstan Entrepreneurs Committee is the first bilateral business cooperation mechanism that China set up with a Central Asian country, which reflects the high-level pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, as well as the strong desire in business circles of both sides to deepen cooperation. We hope the committee can make innovations on cooperation concepts and modes, based on the new conditions and characteristics of China-Kazakhstan cooperation, to encourage more companies of both sides to participate in the bilateral cooperation and to facilitate the implementation of agreed major projects. At the same time, Xi Jinping asked the committee to start a package of new projects in such fields as interconnection, agriculture, high-tech, clean and new energy, and neighboring region cooperation, so as to promote China-Kazakhstan cooperation to a bigger scale and a higher level.

Nursultan Nazarbayev said that Kazakhstan and China are good partners and have made outstanding achievements in cooperation in economy and trade. Xi Jinping's visit to Kazakhstan has prompted the two sides to reach a series of important agreements, and has effectively boosted bilateral cooperation. Kazakhstan is willing to expand cooperation with China in areas, such as energy and interconnection, and to revive the Silk Road. He hoped that the committee will actively boost exchanges between companies of the two countries and open up a new prospect for bilateral cooperation in economy, trade and investment.

The two heads of state jointly witnessed the signing of a series of cooperation documents between Chinese enterprises, such as Export-Import Bank of China, China Development Bank, China National Petroleum Corporation, China International Trust & Investment Corporation, and Datang Group, and Kazakh enterprises.

The same day, Xi Jinping and Nursultan Nazarbayev jointly attended the opening ceremony of the first stage of the second phase of China-Kazakhstan natural gas pipeline. The two heads of state gave orders to transmit gas through the big screen. Flames rose out of the torch at the construction site, the pipeline officially operational.

China-Kazakhstan natural gas pipeline is part of the China-Central Asia gas pipeline in the territory of Kazakhstan, the first phase was completed in 2009, the second phase is in the south of Kazakhstan, and will be carried out in three stages.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi, and others were present.