On the afternoon of June 16, the Chinese special plane had already left Beijing and headed to Nur-Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan, in order to attend the Second China-Central Asia Summit, and also to pay a state visit to the country at the invitation of President Tokayev of Kazakhstan.

Kazakhstan President Tokayev

Before the arrival of the Chinese special plane, Sattaraliyev, the head of Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency, said that the project of the second nuclear power plant to be constructed might be led by a Chinese enterprise, seemingly preparing an "important gift" for the Chinese side in advance. Although there is no definite word yet, the early release of this news by the Kazakh side is likely aimed at reaching cooperation with China.

It should be noted that the construction of a nuclear power plant is a massive project that is both technology-intensive and capital-intensive. It not only involves energy strategy but also has a deep connection with the strategic cooperation between countries.

Since the mid-1990s, Kazakhstan has been discussing the construction of a new nuclear power plant. In September this year, President Tokayev of Kazakhstan clearly stated that the country would initiate the construction of a new nuclear power project.

In terms of nuclear power technology selection and partner selection, Kazakhstan has conducted long-term research and consideration. By referring to the indicators of the International Atomic Energy Agency and other professional organizations, it has studied the experience of China, the United States, France, South Korea, and Russia in constructing nuclear power plants and the safety of each country's technology.

Head of Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy Agency, Sattaraliyev

Nuclear power, as an efficient and clean energy source, is crucial for optimizing Kazakhstan's energy structure, reducing dependence on traditional fossil fuels, and achieving sustainable development goals.

In recent years, the world has been actively promoting energy transformation. Kazakhstan follows this trend by choosing to develop nuclear power, which is in line with the times.

Additionally, Kazakhstan has always attached great importance to its relations with neighboring major powers, especially maintaining close cooperation with China and Russia.

Kazakhstan entrusted the construction of its first nuclear power plant to Russia, and now the second nuclear power plant chooses to cooperate with China, reflecting its strategic layout of balancing diplomatic relations while actively expanding diversified energy cooperation.

The Kazakh side also hopes to deepen bilateral relations through new cooperation in the nuclear power field, obtain advanced technologies, enrich construction experience, and enhance the level of energy infrastructure construction in the country.

Moreover, China has made remarkable achievements in the field of nuclear power technology, such as the independently developed "Hualong One," which has achieved significant success in terms of safety and advancement. This is undoubtedly an important factor attracting Kazakhstan.

For China, this is an important result showcasing the "going out" of its nuclear power technology, further consolidating the strategic partnership between China and Central Asian countries, expanding the cooperation map in the energy market of Central Asia, and contributing to deepening energy infrastructure cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, forming a closer community of shared interests.

Of course, if Kazakhstan really intends to entrust the nuclear power project to China, China must do risk assessment and contingency planning during the project implementation to ensure issues like technology leakage are properly addressed.

It is worth mentioning that, for the United States, this is a double blow to a large extent. On one hand, the U.S. has long sought to expand its influence in Central Asia, attempting to shake up the region and weaken the traditional advantages of China and Russia in this area.

However, through mechanisms such as the China-Central Asia Summit, China and the five Central Asian countries have continuously deepened political trust, economic and trade cooperation, and cultural exchanges, with expanding cooperation fields and strengthening cooperation depth, leaving the U.S. "disruption" plan in vain.

Furthermore, if China and Kazakhstan achieve cooperation in the nuclear power plant project this time, it will further consolidate the strategic partnership between China and Central Asian countries, making it even more difficult for the U.S. to intervene.

On the other hand, the U.S. has long coveted Kazakhstan's energy market and has tried to get a piece of the pie in the nuclear power field. Previously, when Kazakhstan was selecting partners for the nuclear power plant, the U.S. was involved as well.

Now that Kazakhstan has chosen China, it means that the U.S. plans in Kazakhstan's nuclear power project have failed again, and its layout in the energy market of Central Asia has also suffered setbacks.

In short, the visit of the Chinese special plane to Kazakhstan will witness the further deepening of cooperation between China and Central Asian countries in politics, economy, culture, and other fields.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516446000475685402/

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