On June 24, 2008, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime Minister Karim Masimov met in the capital of Astana separately with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

Yang conveyed a message from President Hu Jintao to Nazarbayev, in which Hu expressed warm congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the Kazakhstan's capital-Astana.

During his talks with Yang, Nazarbayev spoke highly of the importance President Hu attached to Kazakhstan-China strategic partnership. He said that the two countries are good neighbors, friends and partners and there is bright prospect for the development of the ties. Nazarbayev reiterated the Kazakh government's adherence to the one-China policy and its resolve to work with China to crack down on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism. He expressed belief that under the guidance of the development strategy set at the 17th CPC Congress, China will surely make new achievements in national development. The Kazakh side sincerely hopes that China will play a greater constructive role in international and regional affairs.

During his meeting with the Chinese foreign minister, Masimov said Kazakhstan is ready to further expand its cooperation with China in the non-resource sector and will also join China's effort to ensure the smooth implementation of such projects as the second phase of the China-Kazakhstan oil pipeline, a natural gas pipeline and Horgos International Border Cooperation Center.

Meanwhile, Nazarbayev and Masimov again extended their sincere sympathies and condolences over the devastating earthquake that hit southwestern China on May 12. They believed that under the strong leadership of the Chinese government and with the persistent hard work of the Chinese people, China will certainly win the fight against the disaster. They also expressed their firm support for China's hosting of the 2008 Olympics and wished a great success to the Beijing Olympic Games.

Yang thanked the Kazakh side for offering sympathy and providing relief aid for China after the quake. China also appreciates Kazakhstan's efforts to ensure a smooth Olympic Torch relay in the country, the Chinese foreign minister said.

Yang said recent years have witnessed all-round, in-depth development of China-Kazakhstan relations with close high-level exchanges, increasing political trust and fruitful pragmatic cooperation. The two sides have also supported and coordinated with each other in international and regional affairs. The Chinese government speaks highly of Kazakhstan's valuable support for China over the issues of Taiwan and Tibet and in the combat against the "three evil forces," Yang said, adding that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of China-Kazakhstan relations, which has always been a foreign policy priority for China. China is ready to work with Kazakhstan to implement the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries on boosting the Sino-Kazakh strategic partnership and maintain the sound momentum of high-level exchanges, Yang said. China will also strive to ensure the efficient implementation of the large cooperation projects with Kazakhstan, expand bilateral cooperation in the non-resource sector and raise the level of pragmatic cooperation, Yang added. He also urged both sides to increase exchanges between their academic institutions, youth groups and cultural and sports circles to cement the social foundation of bilateral friendship. He suggested that both sides should deepen communication and coordination in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and enhance security cooperation.

Chairman of the Kazakh Senate and Chairman of Mazhlis, the Kazakh lower house, met with Yang Jiechi on June 25 and 24 respectively. The Kazakh side made positive comments on the friendly exchanges between the Kazakh parliament and the NPC and the CPPCC of China, expressing willingness to work with China to provide sound legislative guarantee for the development of bilateral ties. Yang said the parliamentary exchanges are an important part of bilateral ties between the two countries and China is ready to continuously enhance parliamentary cooperation with Kazakhstan.

On June 24, Yang also met with his Kazakh counterpart Marat Tazhin. The two ministers reached consensus over a wide range of topics they discussed, including bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

Yang arrived in Astana on June 24, kicking off his official visit to Kazakhstan.