At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, the president of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov, will pay a state visit to China from June 6th to 10th. He will also attend the 18th meeting of SCO member states' heads' council.

It is his first visit to China since he took office last November. In an interview with Chinese media on the eve of his departure, President Jeenbekov said the SCO has paved a broad and bright road since its establishment 17 years ago. He said the SCO has become a model of mutual respect and mutual trust among various countries and nations, which has created a solid foundation for peace, harmony and progress. He highly praised the SCO as it plays an active and constructive role in international and regional issues. He added that the SCO has created favorable conditions for member states. He also took questions on ties between China and Kyrgyzstan.

SOORONBAY JEENBEKOV KYRGYZ PRESIDENT "We often say that neighbors are better than distant relatives. We also support this proposition in foreign policy. China is our strategic partner, our close friend, our neighbor. We are very proud. We highly value our good-neighbor relations."

"China is Kyrgyzstan's largest trading partner and one of the major investors. We cherish China's investment in Kyrgyzstan and we hope that the Chinese enterprises in Kyrgyzstan have a free environment for investment and business. We have comprehensive laws to protect the interests of investors. And the laws are in line with international standards. We keep moving along this direction."

"Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kyrgyzstan, great achievements have been made in the development of bilateral relations. Bilateral friendly relations develop smoothly. We have established a relationship of mutual trust and cooperation. The cooperation in various fields has achieved development in an all-around way. During my visit to China, I eagerly look forward to a meeting with President Xi Jinping and I believe our meeting will bring the relationship between Kyrgyzstan and China to a new level."