President Xi holds talks with Kyrgyz president

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China stands ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to better align development strategies, deepen exchanges of experience in governance, deliver more tangible and accessible outcomes through practical cooperation, and make substantive progress in building a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future.

He made the remarks while meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Bishkek.

He arrived in the city on Sunday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2026 and a state visit to Kyrgyzstan.

During their talks, Xi said that under their guidance, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have made a leap forward, with cooperation flourishing across all areas in recent years.

Major cooperation projects with Kyrgyzstan, including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, have progressed steadily in recent years, providing effective support for both countries' development, benefiting their people, and promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region, Xi said.

He urged the two countries to deepen practical cooperation, effectively implement the intergovernmental economic and trade cooperation plan, and diversify trade products.

Xi called on China and Kyrgyzstan to develop new growth areas such as digital trade and cross-border e-commerce, and ensure the high-quality construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which he described as a major transportation artery that carries the development aspirations of people across the region.

China and Kyrgyzstan should also make joint efforts to build the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory and enhance cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence (AI), Xi said.

For his part, Japarov said that China has always been a priority in Kyrgyzstan's foreign policy and is Kyrgyzstan's closest friend and most reliable partner.

He applauded the rapid development of the Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, saying bilateral relations have entered a golden period and reached the highest level in history.

After their talks, the two sides signed a bilateral treaty on permanent good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.

They also witnessed the exchange of bilateral cooperation documents.

Xi said the treaty's signing will provide an important legal foundation for the two countries to maintain their longstanding friendship and firm support for each other, while Japarov said the treaty will open broader prospects for bilateral relations. (With input from Xinhua)