BEIJING: China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to deepen the alignment of their development strategies, expand exchanges on experience in state governance and advance all-round mutually beneficial cooperation to push for the implementation of the building of a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
Xi made the remarks while holding talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who is in Beijing for a state visit.
Noting that the two countries are good neighbors, friends and partners, Xi said that in recent years, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have achieved leap-forward development, reaching a new height of a comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era.
Hailing the political mutual trust and bilateral cooperation in various fields, Xi said the social and public opinion foundation for building a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future is being increasingly consolidated.
He called on both countries to focus on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and advance the deepening of their mutually beneficial cooperation.
China will continue to expand economic and trade cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, import more quality goods from Kyrgyzstan, and support more Chinese enterprises to invest and start business in Kyrgyzstan, he said, expressing his hope that the Kyrgyz side will effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors.
Xi urged efforts to comprehensively improve the level of connectivity, build the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway with high standards and high quality, promote the modernization of existing ports, and open more passenger and freight flights to provide more convenience for the exchange of personnel and the flow of goods between the two countries.
He also called for expanding cooperation in new quality productive forces such as cross-border e-commerce, big data, and artificial intelligence to create new growth points.
Xi said the two sides should operate institutions such as the Chinese Cultural Center, the Luban Workshop, and the Confucius Institute well and strengthen local exchanges to cultivate more forces devoted to the China-Kyrgyzstan friendship.
For his part, Japarov said bilateral relations have reached a new level in recent years, adding that China is Kyrgyzstan’s reliable friend and partner.
Japarov expressed firm support for China on issues concerning Taiwan, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong, pledging to advance cooperation in areas such as industry, investment, trade, transportation, e-commerce, and education.
The two heads of state signed a joint statement after the meeting and witnessed the signing of a Belt and Road cooperation plan and several cooperation documents in diplomacy, economy, trade, agriculture, and other fields.
