CGTN: How China-Kyrgyzstan 'golden' ties deliver for both nations and the region
To mark Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for a state visit and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, CGTN published an article exploring where the bilateral ties stand now and how the two sides coordinate across multilateral platforms to deliver for both countries and beyond.
BEIJING, Aug. 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Construction of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway is ramping up in Central Asia, with work on the Kyrgyz section, which accounts for nearly 60% of the total length, advancing in full swing on the flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Highlighting the project's broader impact, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that China's major cooperation projects with Kyrgyzstan, including the railway, have progressed steadily in recent years, providing effective support for the development of both countries, benefiting their peoples and promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region.
In his talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Xi said 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 of practical cooperation and make substantive progress in building a China-Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future.
'Golden' period in bilateral ties
Upon landing in Bishkek on Sunday for a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, Xi said in a written statement that bilateral cooperation has entered a "golden" period of rapid development.
Mirroring Xi's assessment in their talks a day later, Japarov affirmed that bilateral relations have entered a "golden" period and stand at their highest level in history, calling China "Kyrgyzstan's closest friend and most reliable partner."
Xi said in his opening remarks that under their guidance, bilateral relations have made a leap forward, with cooperation flourishing across all areas in recent years.
China has long been Kyrgyzstan's top trading partner and largest source of foreign direct investment. Trade figures highlight this growing economic momentum: bilateral trade in 2025 reached a record $27.2 billion, up 19.8% year on year.
That trajectory continued into 2026, with trade hitting $11.7 billion from January through July, driven by strong growth in Chinese "new three" exports – electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products – as well as mechanical and electrical goods to the central Asian country; and cumulative Chinese direct investment in Kyrgyzstan crossed the $2 billion mark by the end of July 2026, data of China's Commerce Ministry shows.
The two sides on Monday signed more than 20 cooperation agreements across science and technology, education, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and media, and exchanged texts of bilateral documents covering investment, transportation, customs and sister‑city partnerships.
Furthermore, the two heads of state signed a joint declaration on the high-quality development of the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era and a bilateral treaty on permanent good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.
The signing of the treaty will provide an important legal foundation for the two countries to maintain their longstanding friendship and firm support for each other, Xi said. For his part, Japarov said the treaty will open up broader prospects for bilateral relations.
President Xi's state visit, which coincides with the 35th Independence Day of Kyrgyzstan, further demonstrates the deep friendship and high-level mutual political trust between two countries, marking a key milestone in the history of bilateral relations, Japarov said.
Closer coordination under multilateral frameworks
As founding states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and fellow members of the Global South, China and Kyrgyzstan hold aligned positions on upholding international fairness and justice and promoting open and inclusive development.
In response to a complex and turbulent international and regional landscape, China and Kyrgyzstan work in close alignment across multilateral channels, including the United Nations, the China-Central Asia mechanism as well as the SCO.
China, for instance, supports and welcomes the election of Kyrgyzstan as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in June, and Kyrgyzstan has joined the China-proposed World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) headquartered in Shanghai and the International Organization for Mediation based in Hong Kong.
Xi said on Monday that China backs Kyrgyzstan in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and stands ready to further strengthen coordination with Kyrgyzstan within the UN framework.
China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to oppose hegemonism and power politics, uphold true multilateralism, safeguard international fairness and justice, and advance the development of a more just and equitable global governance system, he added.
China's four major global initiatives on development, security, civilization and governance help countries join hands to meet common challenges and build a more just and stable international order, Japarov said.
Kyrgyzstan is ready to coordinate closely with China on multilateral platforms including the UN, the SCO, the China‑Central Asia mechanism and WAICO to jointly uphold world peace and stability, he added.
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