Jointly organized by the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and the Astana International Exchange (AIX) of Kazakhstan, the virtual roadshow “SSE International Cooperation Forum - New Opportunities in Kazakhstan” was held on May 11. The latest developments and business opportunities in Kazakhstan’s market were presented to more than 70 representatives from nearly 40 market entities. Among those attending and addressing the forum were relevant officials of the SSE and the AIFC Authority. The CEO of AIX and senior officials of market institutions such as the China Development Bank and the China International Capital Corporation Limited also shared their business experience at the virtual roadshow.
According to SSE officials, Kazakhstan is where President Xi Jinping first proposed the construction of the “Silk Road Economic Belt”. In recent years, China-Kazakhstan relations have been continuously elevated to new heights, with close bilateral economic and trade exchanges. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kazakhstan. The SSE is full of confidence in the cooperation between the capital markets in China and Kazakhstan. The forum aims to deepen China-Kazakhstan cooperation pragmatically and build a bridge of communication and exchange for the capital markets of the two countries. The SSE is active in supporting the development and construction of the AIFC and AIX, and hopes to continuously take advantage of the SSE’s overseas resources to provide a financing service platform for Chinese enterprises to go global and facilitate the efforts of Chinese companies and financial institutions in further expanding their business abroad.
According to officials of the AIFC Authority, despite the changes in international geopolitics in the first quarter of 2022, the current situation in Kazakhstan is stable and the AIFC is running well. Under the changing situation, Kazakhstan and the AIFC are facing new challenges and opportunities.Attaching great importance to the Chinese market, the AIFC will work with all relevant parties to promote the great potential of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, attract foreign investment, and serve the construction of a “new Kazakhstan”.
In 2017, the SSE partnered with the AIFC, an important partner of the SSE in Central Asia, and invested in the AIX. At present, with well-developed infrastructure and market rule system, the AIX has the conditions to provide high-quality investment and financing services for Chinese entities. In the future, the SSE will rely on the SSE International Cooperation Forum to organize more activities to further deepen the market players’ understanding of the current developments and business opportunities in key countries along the Belt and Road. Meanwhile, the SSE will take full advantage of its overseas equity cooperation projects, and facilitate the efforts of market participants in overseas financing and market construction, so as to pragmatically serve the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.