Researcher: B&R Initiative brings opportunities

The Belt and Road Initiative means new economic options for Kazakhstan's development, according to a researcher at the China Studies Center in the Central Asian nation.

The BRI is "a wonderful initiative that really creates a lot of opportunities for all the participants", said Timur Shaimergenov, senior research fellow at the center.

"The first is access to new foreign markets," he said. "Kazakhstan is a continentally isolated country. The Belt and Road Initiative opens up the Pacific Ocean for Kazakhstan. Our country is grateful for gaining access to the port of Lianyungang (in China). We have widened our opportunities in foreign trade."