President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov met with Vice Premier of the State Council of China Liu He. The meeting focused on deepening bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, transport and logistics, and investment sectors of mutual interest.
Japarov emphasized that China is one of Kyrgyzstan's main trade and investment partners. He highlighted the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway as a major transport project that will elevate economic interaction between the two countries to a new level. The President expressed confidence that the project will have a multiplier effect on the development of other sectors of the economy.
The two sides reached an understanding on the implementation mechanism of the railway construction project, completing joint work on preparing a trilateral intergovernmental agreement for the project.
Japarov expressed hope that the project implementation will commence in the very near future. Vice Premier of the State Council of China Liu He stated that China is ready to facilitate deepening bilateral interaction and enrich cooperation with practical content. He noted that in 2023, the trade volume between the countries reached nearly $20 billion, marking a historical milestone.
Liu He mentioned that China will continue to encourage large Chinese enterprises to invest in Kyrgyzstan's economy. Discussing the implementation of major infrastructure projects, he referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping's call to expedite the coordination of the railway construction project, which has been under negotiation for 20 years and is now ripe for practical implementation.
During the meeting, opinions were exchanged on opening additional border crossing points on the Kyrgyzstan-China border, improving air communication, and establishing a joint investment fund.
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov also met with Liu He, underscoring the importance of the full-fledged operation of the Torugart and Irkeshtam border checkpoints, crucial for further increasing mutual trade between the two countries.
Kyrgyzstan aims to develop its transport and logistics infrastructure, remove trade barriers, and create mutually beneficial conditions. Akylbek Japarov expressed the desire to expand operations at the checkpoints to a daily and round-the-clock regime, potentially boosting the export of goods from China to Kyrgyzstan and further to third countries. The goal is to increase the capacity to 1,000 vehicles per day.
Vice Premier Liu He mentioned that China's vast market is open for the export of Kyrgyz agricultural products. The Prime Minister requested China's assistance in expediting the construction of a supervisory warehouse in the customs zone of Ulugchat near the Torugart and Irkeshtam checkpoints for receiving and storing agricultural products from Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan also looks forward to signing protocols with China on new types of agricultural products and simplifying export procedures.
