Kyrgyz President Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev arrived in Beijing on Saturday afternoon to participate in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which will be held in the Chinese capital from May 14 to 15.

Twenty-nine heads of state and government will attend the forum, the highest-profile international meeting on the Belt and Road since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative in 2013.

China and Kyrgyzstan established diplomatic ties 25 years ago, and have developed a strong bilateral relationship through collaboration in many areas. The two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in border affairs and anti-terrorism exercises last year, with China providing military and technical assistance to Kyrgyzstan. In 2016, China replaced Russia as an investor in Kyrgyzstan's two major hydropower projects.