The “China-Kazakhstan Investment, Financing and Compliance Management Symposium”, jointly hosted by Dentons and Silk Road International Cultural and Economic Cooperation Communication Organization (SICO), took place in Beijing on April 27, 2019. Serik Nugerbekov, Deputy of the Kazakhstan Senate and member of the Accounts Committee for Control over Execution of the Republican Budget, Hong Hong, secretary-general of SICO, and Ma Jiangtao, head of Dentons China Management Committee, spoke at the event that was presided over by senior partner Xu Yongqian, deputy Party secretary of the Dentons China.
“Kazakhstan is where President Xi Jinping revealed the Belt and Road Initiative, a country playing an active role in bridging Eurasian economies,” said Serik Nugerbekov. “We seek to collaborate with countries along the Belt and Road route in investment, trade, construction of infrastructure and industrial parks, finance, legal matters and health care.” Mr. Nugerbekov also highlighted many concessions and favorable policies that are set to benefit cooperation between China and Kazakhstan, and encouraged Chinese business leaders in the audience to invest in Kazakhstan. Dentons’ proposal of building industrial parks and Silk Road towns in parallel to address future hollowing-out of cities and families has won praise from Mr. Nugerbekov.
Hong Hong paid tribute to Mr. Massimov, chairman of the SICO in Kazakhstan for his “extraordinary efforts in facilitating cultural, economic and trade ties between the Belt and Road countries”.
Ma Jiangtao said “As pointed out by President Xi Jinping at the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, all collaborations will be transparent. The Symposium took place at a fitting and crucial moment. After 27 years of strong growth, Dentons has become the world’s largest law firm with an ever expanding global legal network and nearly 3000 lawyers in the Belt and Road countries. 5500 Dentons lawyers in China will actively engage with our offices in Nur-Sultan and Almaty and provide guidance to Chinese and Kazakhstan companies on investment, trade and construction of industrial parks.”
At the end of the event, Xu Yongqian, who has been deeply involved in many national Belt and Road research projects, walked through the compliance issues that Kazakhstan in particular should pay attention to, in order for China-led investment to succeed in China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor, including compliance protocols as well as compliance with international and national standards.
Dentons representatives in the meantime bore witness the signed of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between SICO and International Secretariat of G-Global. The two parties are committed to:
1. Create a Silk Road Academy to forward the ‘’Belt and Road” philosophy; 2. Hold Silk Road Mayors Forum to advance communication between Belt and Road cities; 3. Set up a Silk Road Award to honor outstanding organizations and individuals; and media, youth and women alliance to deepen ties between people along the Belt and Road route.
Attendees also included Dentons senior partner Song Yunfeng, leaders/representatives of the International Economist Alliance, Kazakhstan National Academy of Natural Sciences, Eurasian Scholars Economic Club, and International Secretariat G-Global, as well as president, general manager, general counsel and/or legal managers of Beijing Financial Holding (Risk Management Department), Hualian Asia Pacific Group, China Resources Life Science, Space Biology, CGNPC Uranium Resources, China Xiong'an Development Research Institute, State Coal Geology Bureau, and Beijing Wote Puxin.