On July 17, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev concluded a trip to Shanghai, China, by speaking at the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference. While restating Kazakhstan’s efforts to become a regional hub for digital trade and international cooperation, Tokayev also praised China for its advancements in the field during his 16-minute speech.
The day before, the Kazakh president had already expressed his desire to deepen cooperation between the two countries in the field of technology. This was underscored by the signing of deals worth more than $15 billion covering digital infrastructure, transport, and the security sector.
Tokayev’s trip comes amid what the Kazakh government has coined the Year of Digitalization and AI, with energy and resources being directed toward the development of a digital state. His talks with industry-leading companies in Shanghai on July 16 also made it clear that China played a defining role in Kazakhstan’s development.
Even before the conference, China played a visible part in Kazakhstan’s digital strategy, both by sharing relevant knowledge and by integrating Chinese hardware to propel Kazakhstan’s hypermodern ambitions. For example, the Chinese firm Huawei is the provider of several parts of Kazakhstan’s critical infrastructure.
