BEIJING (Reuters) -&nbsp;China's&nbsp;President&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;Jinping met&nbsp;Kazakhstan's&nbsp;President&nbsp;Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday, and said that a "stable and vibrant" relationship was conducive to the development of both countries.
Tokayev was in Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum,&nbsp;Xi's ambitious global infrastructure initiative. The two leaders last met in May when China for the first time hosted an in-person summit of central Asian leaders.
Calling Tokayev an "old friend",&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;said the two countries should strengthen&nbsp;cooperation&nbsp;on Belt and Road as well as investment and trade, according to a statement by&nbsp;China's&nbsp;foreign ministry.
Xi&nbsp;also said China was willing to increase agricultural imports from&nbsp;Kazakhstan&nbsp;and widen the scale of railway freight and the use of international transport routes across the Caspian Sea.
"No matter how the international situation changes, China and&nbsp;Kazakhstan&nbsp;should adhere to their original intentions, watch over each other, and continuously promote the development of the permanent comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries,"&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;said.
In the meeting, Tokayev said he was willing to strengthen communication and&nbsp;cooperation&nbsp;with China, the statement said.
On Monday, China National Offshore Oil Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding with&nbsp;Kazakhstan's national oil and gas company KazMunayGas JSC, also known as KMG, which included an agreement to conduct joint geological research as well as expand&nbsp;cooperation&nbsp;on existing oilfields, according to Chinese state media.
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(Reporting by Liz Lee, Ella Cao and Bernard Orr; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Raju Gopalakrishnan and Miral Fahmy)

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China's Xi meets Kazakhstan president, pushes for more cooperation