May 11, 2023. Astana — The "Beles" Center for Analysis and Strategy organized a large-scale international scientific conference titled "10 Years of the Silk Road and High-Quality Joint Construction of the Belt and Road".

The event was held in partnership with Astana International University (AIU) and one of the world's leading universities — Tsinghua University (PRC).

This initiative confirmed the status of the "Beles" Center as an effective dialogue platform capable of attracting world-class expertise to discuss Kazakhstan's strategic interests.

The conference became the first major expert event in the post-pandemic period dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the "One Belt, One Road" (BRI) initiative, which was first announced by PRC President Xi Jinping right here in Astana in 2013.

Thanks to the organizational efforts of the "Beles" Center and its partners, the event was held at a high representative level. The discussions were attended by:

• Farkhad Kuanganov, Advisor to the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
• Representatives of the Embassy of the PRC in Kazakhstan.
• Wang Xiqin, President of Tsinghua University (led the Chinese delegation).
• Leading experts from Russia (IMEMO RAS), Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Within the framework of the conference organized with the participation of our Center, a historic event took place — the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Cooperation between AIU and Tsinghua University.

This agreement opened the way for joint research, technology transfer, and personnel training for industrial projects.

Experts of the "Beles" Center, together with foreign colleagues, developed recommendations in key areas:

• Transport Corridors: Development of the TITR (Middle Corridor) and its alignment with the "Belt and Road" initiative.
• Digitalization: Creation of unified digital platforms for logistics.
• Geopolitics: The role of the SCO and CICA in ensuring the security of regional projects.

"Organizing a dialogue of such a level with the participation of the elite of Chinese science and the Kazakhstani expert community demonstrates that the non-governmental sector, represented by the 'Beles' Center, plays an important role in the expert support of state initiatives."