President Xi meets with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov ahead of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana on Wednesday.

The two presidents held talks in Xi'an in May last year, which Xi said had been fruitful and led to consensus on China-Kyrgyzstan relations and cooperation in various fields.

Xi said the agreements have been effectively implemented over the past year, adding that there has been frequent good news about China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation. 

He said China is pleased to see a stable and developing Kyrgyzstan and will continue to firmly support Kyrgyzstan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China and Kyrgyzstan should explore new ways of thinking to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation to make it continue to deepen and more effective, Xi said, adding the two sides should expand economic, trade and investment cooperation, enhance connectivity and expand cooperation on new quality productive forces.

China is willing to join hands with Kyrgyzstan to deepen the alignment of development strategies, expand exchanges on governance experience, and promote all-round mutually beneficial cooperation, said Xi.

He added that China is willing to import more high-quality green agricultural products from Kyrgyzstan, support Chinese enterprises in investing and doing business in the Central Asian country, strengthen cooperation in areas such as new energy vehicles and cross-border e-commerce, and accelerate the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project.

Xi said that the two sides should give full play to platforms such as the traditional Chinese medicine center in Kyrgyzstan, the Chinese Cultural Center and the Luban Workshop to further boost China-Kyrgyzstan friendly cooperation.

China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, continue to strengthen the China-Central Asia mechanism, and ensure that the SCO develops in the right direction that serves the common interests of all parties, he added.

Japarov said he still vividly remembers his visit to China in May last year, which opened up a new era in bilateral relations. At present, political relations between Kyrgyzstan and China are developing at a high level, various departments of the two countries maintain close communication, sub-national exchanges and cooperation are booming, and bilateral trade and investment are growing steadily.

He said that in the face of global changes unseen in a century, Kyrgyzstan-China relations have always been rock-solid, and there are no political differences or cooperation obstacles between the two countries.

Japarov said Kyrgyzstan firmly adheres to the one-China principle, adding that Kyrgyzstan welcomes more Chinese enterprises to invest in the country, and will provide a good business environment for Chinese enterprises. 

He added that it is hoped the two sides will work together to promote the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project as well as close multilateral communication and collaboration in the SCO and other platforms.

(With input from Xinhua)