Xi says China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation holds great potential

ASTANA, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said that cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan holds great potential, urging the two countries to scale up trade and investment and expand cooperation in emerging sectors.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 33 years ago, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have achieved leapfrog development and are now at their best in history, Xi noted.

The Chinese president recalled that he held a fruitful meeting with Japarov in Beijing in February, where they reached a series of important consensuses that have injected new and strong impetus into bilateral cooperation.

China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to continuously deepen the alignment of development strategies, continue to firmly support each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, and safeguard common and long-term interests of both sides, he said.

Xi urged the two sides to deepen financial cooperation, improve connectivity networks and advance the high-quality construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

He also called on the two sides to foster new drivers of growth in clean energy, green minerals and artificial intelligence, enhance communication in fields such as culture, tourism, education and health, and implement more projects that benefit the people.

Noting that China and Kyrgyzstan are both beneficiaries of economic globalization, he called on the two sides to jointly oppose unilateralism, firmly safeguard the international economic and trade order, and promote a more just and equitable global governance system.

Noting that the two sides will successively assume the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and host summits, Xi said that China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to support each other and jointly promote the greater development of the SCO.

For his part, Japarov said that under the outstanding leadership of President Xi, China has strived forward on the path of prosperity and strength, achieving great accomplishments and playing a crucial guiding role on the international stage.

The Kyrgyz side attaches great importance to the development of relations with China and cherishes the strategic partnership built on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and good-neighborly friendship, Japarov said.

On issues concerning China's core interests, the Kyrgyz side, he said, firmly supports China's stance, adheres to the one-China principle, opposes all forms of "Taiwan independence," and opposes any interference by external forces in China's internal affairs.

Noting that China is Kyrgyzstan's largest trading and investment partner, Japarov said the Kyrgyz side welcomes more Chinese enterprises to do business in Kyrgyzstan, stands ready to work with China to jointly advance such projects as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, strengthen cooperation in energy, green minerals and other fields, and better benefit the peoples of both countries.

Japarov said the Kyrgyz side actively supports the three major global initiatives proposed by President Xi and is ready to work with China to jointly implement them.

Kyrgyzstan will closely coordinate and cooperate with China within the United Nations, the SCO and the China-Central Asia mechanism to promote regional and global security, stability, development and prosperity, he added.

Following the meeting, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation documents covering agriculture, customs, science and technology, media and other fields.■