SHANGHAI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday met with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Shanghai.

Tokayev is in China to attend the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance.

Xi said that the China-Kazakhstan permanent comprehensive strategic partnership has maintained strong momentum, demonstrating enormous potential for cooperation and broad prospects for future development.

He called on the two sides to strengthen the alignment of their development strategies and policies to continuously elevate practical cooperation.

Xi stressed the need to optimize the trade structure and foster new forms of business in cross-border e-commerce and trade in services. He also called for expanding cooperation in energy and mineral resources and accelerating the implementation of key projects.

Xi urged efforts to advance connectivity by increasing the number of direct flights and improving the facilitation of international road transport.

China stands ready to share technologies in areas such as the digital economy and artificial intelligence to support Kazakhstan's digital transformation, Xi added.