BEIJING — Vice-Premier Han Zheng called on China and Kazakhstan to further align each other’s development strategies and advance pragmatic cooperation on March 19.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting in Beijing with Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alikhan Smailov.

China and Kazakhstan are friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners, and under the leadership of the two countries’ top leaders, Sino-Kazakhstani relations have kept high-standard development and become a model of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit among all countries, Han said.

Han said the two countries maintained frequent high-level exchanges, consistently enhanced mutual trust, and achieved fruitful results in jointly promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

While urging for advancing pragmatic cooperation in fields of economy, trade, investment, customs, and finance, Han stressed the importance of extending support for enterprises of both countries to strengthen cooperation in accordance with the market-oriented principles and push for new progress in this regard.

For his part, Smailov said Kazakhstan stands ready to continue active participation in construction associated with the Belt and Road Initiative and enhance cooperation with China in finance and infrastructure.