BEIJING MOVES TO INCREASE INFLUENCE IN CENTRAL ASIA

Chinese President Hu Jintao made his second visit to Kazakhstan July 3-6, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and after a visit to Moscow. The high point of the mini-summit was the signing of a Chinese-Kazakh Strategic Partnership agreement.

Vital economic issues, such as the joint development of mineral and energy resources and construction of the Trans-Kazakhstan railway, were high on Hu’s agenda. Statistically, 70 joint Chinese-Kazakh enterprises operate in Kazakhstan, but China’s priority areas are oil and gas resources, uranium mines, and nuclear energy.