On December 12, 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, for a working visit to the country.

At about 12:50 local time, President Hu's special plane arrived at Astana International Airport, where he was warmly welcomed by Kazakhstan's First Deputy Prime Minister Umirzak Shukeev.

In a written statement released upon his arrival at the airport, President Hu pointed out that China and Kazakhstan are friendly neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and the friendship between both peoples has a long history. China and Kazakhstan have witnessed sustained, rapid and healthy progress of bilateral ties since they established diplomatic relations 17 years ago. The establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries in 2005 marked that bilateral ties have entered a new phase of development. The two countries have maintained frequent high-level visits, continually deepened mutual trust and conducted fruitful pragmatic cooperation in various fields including economy, trade, energy, security and humanities. "The two sides support each other on major issues concerning each other's core interests," Hu said in the statement. They have conducted close cooperation within multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations (UN), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia (CICA). "The two sides have made active contribution to promoting peace, stability and development in the region," Hu said.

During this visit, President Hu will hold talks with President Nazarbayev. They will exchange views on reinforcing traditional friendship, deepening practical cooperation in various fields and on major regional and international issues of common concern in an in-depth way. Hu expressed his belief that with the joint efforts of both sides, this visit will be a complete success.

Hu's entourage including Ling Jihua, Wang Huning and Dai Bingguo arrived by the same plane.

Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan Cheng Guoping and the staff of the embassy also greeted Hu at the airport.

Following his visit to Kazakhstan, Hu will also pay a working visit to Turkmenistan.