ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN — Kazakhstan is aiming to more than triple its wheat exports to China, according to a Sept. 11 Reuters report.

The office of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who is visiting China, said that Tokayev mentioned in a meeting of a Chinese-Kazakh business council in Beijing that last year wheat exports to the Asian country reached 550,000 tonnes.

“We could increase these volumes to 2 million tonnes,” he said, adding that Kazakhstan would also like to increase imports of meat and poultry and dairy products.

China already is a major importer of Kazakhstan’s oil, gas and metals.

Kazakhstan and Russia, one of its main wheat exporting competitors in the Black Sea region, have for years attempted to increase agricultural exports to China, the world’s largest importer of agricultural products.

Last week, the agricultural ministry of Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, said it expects China to open its market for imports of wheat produced all regions of Russia within a year.