Kazakhstan and China have taken another major step toward deepening economic cooperation after the Kazakh Senate ratified a new treaty on the encouragement and mutual protection of investments.

Senate deputy Sergey Yershov said that the agreement gives legal force to commitments reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Astana in June last year. The updated treaty replaces the original 1992 deal and modernizes investment rules in line with international standards, The Caspian Post reports via Kazinform.

The new framework is designed to eliminate discrimination and ensure equal conditions for both Kazakh and Chinese investors, while also boosting high-tech projects, job creation and Kazakhstan’s export potential.

Economic ties between the two countries have expanded rapidly in recent years. Direct investment from China into Kazakhstan reached $2.8 billion in 2025, marking a 135% increase compared to the previous year.

Between 2005 and 2025, total Chinese investment in Kazakhstan climbed to $29.3 billion, while Kazakh investment in China reached nearly $927 million.

Trade between the two neighbors also hit a new high, with bilateral turnover totaling $34.1 billion in 2025 - up 13.2% year-on-year.