- On July 17, 2026, Kazakh President Tokayev attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai and delivered a 16-minute speech, saying that Kazakhstan is committed to becoming a regional center for digital trade and international cooperation; the previous day (July 16), he held talks with several leading industry enterprises in Shanghai.
- During this visit, China and Kazakhstan signed more than 70 agreements and memorandums totaling over $15 billion, covering digital infrastructure, transport and logistics, and security; the full list of agreements has not yet been published, and publicly available information shows that most involve the delivery of products from China to Kazakhstan.
- At a roundtable with heads of several Chinese high-tech enterprises, Tokayev said that bilateral trade last year reached $49 billion, a record high, and China's economic investment in Kazakhstan exceeded $30 billion.
- Huawei entered into a strategic partnership with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and signed an agreement to deliver equipment to Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund; Kazakhtelecom agreed on the basic principles of cooperation for building the "Data Center Valley," a 1 GW data center in northeastern Kazakhstan that, once completed, will be the largest of its kind in Central Asia.
- Astana became one of the 29 signatory governments of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization headquartered in Shanghai; Kazakhstan designated this year as the "Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence," with resources directed toward building a digital state.
- Earlier, on July 13, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kosherbayev visited China and met with Wang Yi; Kazakhstan exports key minerals such as copper to China, Chinese companies have participated in Kazakhstan's digitalization for many years, and Huawei moved part of its business from Russia to Central Asia in 2022 and was selected to build Kazakhstan's 5G infrastructure.
Original excerpt: The day before, the Kazakh president had already expressed his desire to deepen cooperation between the two countries in the field of technology.
Source: https://thediplomat.com/2026/07/how-china-is-aiding-kazakh-efforts-to-become-hyper-modern/
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Key facts
- On July 17, 2026, Kazakh President Tokayev attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai and delivered a 16-minute speech.
- During Tokayev's visit to Shanghai, China and Kazakhstan signed more than 70 agreements and memorandums totaling over $15 billion, covering digital infrastructure, transport and logistics, and security.
- Tokayev said that last year China-Kazakhstan bilateral trade reached $49 billion, a historic high, and China's economic investment in Kazakhstan exceeded $30 billion.
- Huawei reached a strategic partnership with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and signed an agreement to deliver equipment to Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund.
- Kazakhtelecom agreed on the basic principles of cooperation for building the "Data Center Valley," a 1 GW data center in northeastern Kazakhstan that, once completed, will be the largest of its kind in Central Asia.
- Astana became one of the 29 signatory governments of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization headquartered in Shanghai; Kazakhstan designated this year as the "Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence."
FAQ
What areas did China and Kazakhstan sign agreements in during Tokayev's visit to Shanghai?
China and Kazakhstan signed more than 70 agreements and memorandums totaling over $15 billion, covering digital infrastructure, transport and logistics, and security; the complete list of agreements has not yet been published.
What is the scale of China-Kazakhstan bilateral trade and investment?
Tokayev said that last year bilateral trade reached $49 billion, a historic high, and China's economic investment in Kazakhstan exceeded $30 billion.
What cooperation does Huawei have with Kazakhstan?
Huawei reached a strategic partnership with Kazakhstan's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development and signed an agreement to deliver equipment to Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund; Huawei was also selected to build Kazakhstan's 5G infrastructure.
What is the "Data Center Valley" project?
Kazakhtelecom agreed on the basic principles of cooperation for building the "Data Center Valley," a 1 GW data center in northeastern Kazakhstan that, once completed, will be the largest of its kind in Central Asia.
What is Kazakhstan's position in international artificial intelligence cooperation?
Astana became one of the 29 signatory governments of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization headquartered in Shanghai; Kazakhstan designated this year as the "Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence," with resources directed toward building a digital state.