Recently I paid a visit to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, for an international conference. It was a media forum organized by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan that aimed at boosting media exchanges between Kazakhstan and other countries as well as promoting the country's model of interethnic tolerance.

Kazakhs are used to foreign faces in their capital city. In May, Astana held an economic forum along with the World Anti-Crisis Conference which gathered over 12,000 participants from 132 countries. The city is also expected to welcome millions of visitors when it holds the World Expo in 2017.

Astana positions itself as the center of Eurasia, a place where East meets West. As the capital city of a vast former Soviet republic, its close historical and cultural roots with Russia can be clearly felt.

Some architectural designs contain hints of Soviet-style monumentalism. The most crowded, bustling and expensive restaurants have a touch of Soviet nostalgia. People generally speak Russian and they are proud of it, even though Kazakh is meant to be their first language.

Yet Astana's showcases signify a break with the Soviet past. Perhaps most notably is the Baiterek, the monumental symbol of Astana that was supposedly designed by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev himself. It evokes the local legend of the "Tree of Life" and embeds Kazakhstan's self-image: constructed of steel, concrete, and glass.

Meanwhile, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, an international exchange center, is a pyramid that spans 62 meters which reminds people of the entrance to the Louvre, a glass and metal pyramid. The presidential palace, which includes a blue and gold dome topped with a spire, looks like Washington's White House.

Yet 16 years ago, all these didn't exist at all, as it was in 1997 that Nazarbayev decided to move the country's capital from Almaty to the central city of Astana.

Yang Cheng, a renowned Chinese expert specializing in Central Asian and Russian studies at the East China Normal University, has noted that the architectural makeover of the city is an effort by the Kazakh government to build up a new national identity for its country and people since the country's independence in 1991.

Kazakhstan certainly has been doing so. As an energy-rich country, it knows how to strike a balance between countries such as China and Russia which want its resources. But meanwhile, it also knows that not only economic cooperation but also political independence could earn it international recognition.

Last week, Nazarbayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a Treaty on Good-Neighborliness and Alliance in the 21st Century. But Kazakhs are keen to stress their political separation from their former Russian masters.

"Historical roots bind the two together, and the neighborliness and alliance only mean cultural and economic," Adil Akhmetov, a former Kazakh diplomat said.

Kazakhstan's sense of political independence can also be seen through its hesitation to join the Kremlin's project of a custom union. Moscow claims this is just economic integration with former Soviet republics, while most Central Asia experts believe the project is meant to drive these states back into Moscow's political embrace.

Kazakhstan has been expanding its image of an open, independent and internalized country through its capital Astana. The new capital shoulders the responsibilities of being a political center and showing the cultural and social progress of the country.

On the way from city center to the airport stands the newly established Nazarbayev University. Named after the country's president, who has ruled the country since independence, the university aims to become the first world-class university in the country.

It is not the best university yet, but many Kazakhs believe it will be in the next few years, as this English-medium institution is offering attractive recompense packages to attract scholars from the West.

With international and open minds cultivated among its young scholars, the country also looks to the same direction.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn