China and Kazakhstan are set to declare the establishment of a "strategic partnership" during President Hu Jintao's visit to the Central Asian country. 

Citing Hu's visit as evidence of the two states' mutually beneficial partnership, China's Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zhou Xiaohui said that following talks today, the two heads of states are expected to sign a number of agreements on economic, political and humanitarian issues as well as a declaration of their strategic partnership.

The countries have made remarkable achievements in bilateral cooperation in fields including economy, trade, public transportation, energy and security, said President Hu in a written statement delivered yesterday afternoon upon his arrival in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, following the end of his visit to Russia.

Today, Hu will meet with a series of Kazak senior leaders, including President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov and parliamentary leaders.

Bilateral cooperation on energy, transportation, and the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism the "three forces" are expected to be top of the agenda.

Analysts say the upgrading of bilateral ties has been prompted by the complete conclusion of boundary issues, growth of bilateral trade, smooth cooperation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and a joint crackdown on the "three forces."

In an interview with the Kazakhstan News Agency on the eve of his visit, Hu said the two countries had launched a series of joint science and technology projects regarding agriculture, information, energy, earthquakes, physics and the exploration of natural resources.

Construction of the China-Kazakhstan oil pipeline linking Atasu in Kazakhstan to the Alataw Pass in northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which began last September, is going well and is scheduled to be completed by December 2005, according to a source with Chinese officials.

China and Kazakhstan are also preparing for the establishment of a center of international boundary cooperation in the Helgus boundary port, said Hu.

The two sides will carry out projects concerning scientific and technological exchanges, including the establishment of a science and technology zone.

"The Chinese government will actively promote the implementation of cooperative projects that accord with the fundamental interests of both peoples and are conducive to regional prosperity," Hu said.

Following his two-day official visit, Hu is to attend a meeting of the SCO heads of state in Astana tomorrow and Wednesday, before heading to the G8+5 meeting in Scotland, July 7-8.

(China Daily July 4, 2005)