This past week, Chinese media reported on the second friendly dialogue of cross-border cooperation between Kazakhstan and China, the resumption of direct flights from Chengdu to Tashkent, and the appointment of Alikhan Smailov as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Image source: Plane Spotters
On March 28, the second friendly dialogue of cross-border cooperation between Kazakhstan and China was held in Almaty during the official visit of Ma Xinzhui, member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People’s Republic of China, to Kazakhstan agreed on strengthening of bilateral economic relations (Bingtuan Online). The event was attended by the Akims of the city of Almaty, four border regions of Kazakhstan (Abay, Zhetysu, Almaty, East Kazakhstan) and representatives of the XUAR, as well as business delegations from the two countries. The Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin also attended the event and delivered a speech.
On March 28, direct flights were resumed from Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, to Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, shortening the flight duration between the two cities to less than six hours (Government of Sichuan). The route is run by China’s Zhejiang Loong Airlines with a hub at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. Three round trips are scheduled weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. As all the international flights resumed operations in Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, airlines have accelerated the pace of resuming, adding, and opening international air routes. As of last Sunday, the number of inbound and outbound flights at the airport in Chengdu this year reached 3,262, up 31.8 percent year on year.
On March 30, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the decree to appoint Alikhan Smailov as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan (China News Service). After receiving his appointment, Smailov presented the main tasks facing the government. He noted that priority will be given to economic diversification, raising the country’s economic growth target to 5% and reducing inflation by half by the end of this year. Born in 1972, Alikhan Smailov has previously served as the assistant to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Prior to becoming the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan in January 2022, he was the Minister of Finance and the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
