Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is in China on a state visit and to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit, in Beijing, capital of China, June 7, 2018. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday met with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, calling for closer economic cooperation.

Premier Li hailed the traditional friendship and cooperation between China and Kazakhstan, saying they are improving increasingly.

Earlier in the day, President Xi Jinping met with President Nazarbayev and held fruitful discussions to map out the future of bilateral relations, said Premier Li.

China attaches great importance to its relationship with Kazakhstan and stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to enhance bilateral ties and strengthen synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative and Kazakhstan's Bright Road Initiative so as to expand mutual benefits and achieve win-win cooperation, Premier Li said during the meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

While noting that cooperation between China and Kazakhstan in industrial production capacity has yielded fruitful results in recent years, Premier Li said China hopes to intensify cooperation with the neighboring country in the areas of infrastructure construction, energy, resources, trade in agricultural produce, and finance.

Premier Li called on both countries to jointly boost trade and investment and facilitation of personnel exchanges, and enhance coordination within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) so as to benefit countries and people in the region.

Nazarbayev, who arrived in Beijing Wednesday for a state visit to China, said Kazakhstan values its relationship with China and the two countries yielded fruitful results in cooperation in various fields, with economic and trade cooperation elevated to a new level.

Saying bilateral ties of Kazakhstan and China are an example of mutually beneficial cooperation, Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan is an important partner in the Belt and Road construction.

Kazakhstan is willing to dovetail development strategies with China and promote bilateral cooperation in industry, investment, innovation, agriculture, energy, and finance, said Nazarbayev, adding his country would like to enhance coordination and communication on international and regional affairs.

Following his state visit to China, he will attend the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.