ASTANA – Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov took part in the World Economic Forum’s 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian, China, highlighting Kazakhstan’s economic reforms, investment opportunities and ambitions in digital technology and innovation.
Photo credit: Prime Minister’s press office
The forum, known as Summer Davos, brought together more than 1,700 leaders from business, government and academia. The agenda covers technological transformation, investment cooperation, digitalization, artificial intelligence, and the search for new drivers of economic growth.
Bektenov addressed a session on June 23 titled Where Are We on Belt and Road.
“For Kazakhstan, being part of this platform is not a mere formal engagement, it is an opportunity to expand international partnerships, strengthen trust, and foster investment cooperation in a volatile global environment,” said Bektenov.
Bektenov outlined several priorities for strengthening regional connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative, which was launched by China’s Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan in 2013.
This includes modernizing transport infrastructure along the Middle Corridor, developing digital logistics solutions, expanding industrial cooperation, advancing green projects, and deepening trade, investment, and financial ties.
He said Kazakhstan is ready to serve as a regional hub for digital transport solutions and called for closer cooperation among partner countries.
“Kazakhstan attaches the highest priority to strengthening friendship, good neighborliness, and the invaluable comprehensive strategic partnership with China. Today, relations between our two countries are at an unprecedentedly high level and continue to advance steadily across all areas of cooperation,” he said.
He told the delegates that Kazakhstan is entering a “new development phase, one where ambition is matched by capacity.”
“We are building on solid economic fundamentals and a stable institutional framework,” he added.
While in Dalian, Bektenov met with prime ministers of Mongolia and Bangladesh. Bektenov and Mongolia’s Nyam-Osor Uchral explored ways to expand trade and economic cooperation, industrial cooperation, cooperation in the mining and metallurgy and transport and logistics sectors, the agro-industrial complex, digitalization and AI, as well as partnership in the field of space technologies.
They also discussed the progress of implementing the agreements reached during the state visit of Mongolian President Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh to Kazakhstan in April. The two countries now target $500 million in bilateral trade
Trade and investment, transport, logistics and digitalization were also on the table during Bektenov’s meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
During talks with World Economic Forum President and CEO Alois Zwinggi, Bektenov discussed cooperation in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, investment attraction and human capital development. Kazakhstan expressed interest in elevating its cooperation with the World Economic Forum to a more systematic analytical partnership.
Bektenov also met with executives of major Chinese companies operating in industry and digital technologies.
The meetings included talks with General Manager of Yulin Irrigation Qi Yubo, Chairman of the Board of Xiamen Wanli Stone Hu Jinpei, Chairman of the Board and CEO of SuperX AI Technology Limited Huang Chenhong, Chairman of the Board of Jinyi Holding Group Jin Peng, Chairman of the Board of Guangzhou Automobile Group Feng Xingya, founder and Chairman of the Board of CATL Zeng Yuqun, and Vice President of CISDI Engineering Yong Liu.
The discussions focused on prospects for launching new investment projects in priority sectors for Kazakhstan, including agriculture, manufacturing, coal chemicals, automotive production and data center development.
