ASTANA — The launch ceremony for the Kazakh editions of Volumes I through IV of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China was held on Thursday in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

Noting that China is a trustworthy strategic partner of Kazakhstan, the country's Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva said at the event that the close ties and high level of mutual trust between the two countries' leaders have injected strong momentum into bilateral relations.

The books are rich in content, profound in thought, and highly relevant in practice, Balayeva noted, adding that it is an important piece of literature that will help Kazakh readers gain a better understanding of China.

Participants at the event said the book is a major work by Chinese President Xi Jinping and it encapsulates his deep thinking on national and global governance and serves as a "window of ideas" for the international community to understand China.

Through reading this work, Kazakh people are expected to gain valuable insights into independently exploring a development path suited to their own national conditions, the event's organizers said.

Around 300 representatives from political parties, media outlets, think tanks and universities from both countries attended the event.

The Kazakh editions of the books were co-translated and published by China's Ethnic Publishing House and Kazakhstan's Foliant Publishing House. To date, the book has been translated and published in 42 languages.

Media cooperation forum

Meanwhile, the 2025 China-Central Asia Media Cooperation Forum was held on Thursday in Astana with the theme of building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev sent a congratulatory letter to the forum.

Tokayev said in the letter that the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi has won wide recognition from the international community as a strategic concept to promote global cooperation.

"Kazakhstan attaches great importance to developing friendly relations with China," Tokayev said. "This forum aims to deepen the integration and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries. It is an important event based on consensus and trust in the media field and dedicated to strengthening partnerships. I wish the forum a complete success and fruitful achievements!"

The participating guests said media exchanges are an important part of the relations between China and Central Asia. Media outlets from China and Central Asian countries should grasp the trend of the times, expand cooperation, jointly tell stories of friendly cooperation, and contribute wisdom and strength to building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The forum was jointly hosted by China's People's Daily and the Kazakh Presidential Radio and Television Administration.

More than 200 media representatives, officials, experts, scholars and business representatives from China and Central Asian countries attended the event.

During the forum, the launch ceremony of the "2025 China-Central Asia Media Cooperation Forum Photo Exhibition" and the "China-Central Asia Media Joint Interview on High-Quality Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation" were also held.