2022 is a milestone year in the history of the development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations, and the two countries have ushered in the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Chinese people often say that they stand at thirty, which means that people will be more confident and mature at the age of 30, showing greater responsibility and responsibility. Over the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kyrgyzstan, China and Kyrgyzstan have continued to advance along the road of friendly cooperation and development. The relationship between the two countries has achieved a historic leap from good-neighborliness and friendship to comprehensive strategic partnership. Good neighbors, good friends, good partners, and good brothers have set an example for building a new type of state-to-state relationship featuring mutual respect, equal cooperation, and mutual benefit.

Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kyrgyzstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kyrgyzstan President Zaparov exchanged congratulatory messages. President Zaparov attended the celebration party for the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kyrgyzstan and delivered a warm speech. All walks of life in China and Kyrgyzstan have also carried out a variety of online and offline activities. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state and the strong support of friends from all walks of life on both sides, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kyrgyzstan has achieved all-round development in the "30th year", showing a gratifying new atmosphere.

Bilateral high-level interactions are frequent, and political mutual trust has reached a new height

In the past year, President Xi Jinping and President Zaparov have met twice, pointing out the direction and injecting strong impetus for the development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations. In February 2022, President Zaparov went to China to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. President Xi Jinping held the first bilateral meeting with him. The leaders of the two countries issued a joint statement, reaffirming the firm position of mutual support and common development. In September, the leaders of the two countries met again during the Samarkand Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The two sides signed cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, medical care, fire protection, and plant quarantine, and reached an important consensus on promoting the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Kyrgyzstan. The two heads of state also maintain regular correspondence. During the year, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice Premier Hu Chunhua visited Kyrgyzstan successively to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and promote cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Highlights of economic, trade and investment, new breakthroughs in practical cooperation

The two sides overcame the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, and promoted the recovery of the cargo volume at the land ports of the two countries and exceeded the pre-epidemic level. According to statistics from the Kyrgyz side, the trade volume between China and Kyrgyzstan from January to October 2022 was 3.414 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 195.5%, accounting for 1/3 of Kyrgyzstan’s total foreign trade, a record high. China remains Kyrgyzstan’s largest trading partner. China has always been Kyrgyzstan's most important source of investment, and China's investment in Kyrgyzstan is still growing under the conditions of the epidemic. A series of major projects under the cooperation framework of the China-Kyrgyzstan Belt and Road Initiative have made solid progress. The China-Kyrgyz-Uzbekistan Railway Project has made positive progress, the three parties signed relevant cooperation documents, and Chinese experts arrived in Kyrgyzstan to carry out field surveys for project feasibility studies. The Chinese experts completed the on-site investigation of the Chu River No. 2 Canal Project, and the two sides signed the meeting minutes. The Chinese side has officially handed over the first and second phases of Bishkek's municipal road network renovation to the Kyrgyz side, and the third phase is under negotiation. The second phase of the new North-South Highway is over, and the first and third phases are being accelerated. China officially signed the contract for aiding mobile hospitals, aiding 100 sets of fire trucks and supporting equipment to Kyrgyzstan. The Urumqi-Bishkek scheduled passenger flight, which was suspended for more than two years due to the epidemic, has officially resumed, further facilitating personnel exchanges between the two sides.

People-to-people bonds continue to deepen, and people-to-people exchanges set off a new wave

When President Xi Jinping visited the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in July 2022, he watched the "Manas" rap show and proposed to protect, inherit, and sort out "Manas" so that it can be carried forward, which aroused heated discussions and praises from all walks of life in Kyrgyzstan. The two sides have steadily advanced the mutual establishment of cultural centers and the opening of Luban workshops in Kyrgyzstan, and actively negotiated to make Kyrgyzstan a tourist destination for Chinese citizens. Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms have helped more than 10,000 Kyrgyz students learn Chinese and Chinese culture. The embassy has implemented a number of cooperation projects with Kyrgyzstan social organizations such as the President's Wife "Supporting Mothers and Children", the Women's Congress, and the Otunbayeva Initiative Foundation. It has provided assistance to Kyrgyzstan primary and middle schools with electronic blackboards, and aided Jibatken State to open sewing and baking Workshops, holding sewing and other employment skills training classes for women, opening summer pasture kindergartens, funding the publication of Chinese popular science books "China Today" in Kyrgyzstan and Russian, etc. The embassy also donated technical equipment for sports events to the Kyrgyz Olympic national team, supported the Chinese Culture and Education Center of the Kyrgyz National Library to improve the hardware facilities, funded Bishkek 95 Middle School to build a multi-functional hall and renovate the Chinese language center, and provided assistance to the disaster-stricken people in Batken Provide $100,000 in humanitarian cash assistance. Relevant activities and projects have achieved good social effects and promoted the cooperation between the two sides in the fields of culture, sports and education.

Intensive coordination in the multilateral field, international cooperation breaks new ground

The two sides have always firmly supported each other on issues related to each other's core interests. China firmly supports Kyrgyzstan's independent choice of development path, supports Kyrgyzstan's various measures to safeguard national independence, sovereignty, and security, and opposes any external forces interfering in Kyrgyzstan's internal affairs under any pretext. Kyrgyzstan firmly adheres to the one-China policy, firmly supports China's principled stance on issues related to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and supports China in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests. The two sides have cooperated closely in international organizations such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and maintained high-level cooperation under the framework of the "China + Five Central Asian Countries" meeting mechanism. Kyrgyzstan actively supports the global development initiative and global security initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping, and works with China to practice genuine multilateralism, resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests and common interests of developing countries, and maintain regional peace and security.

Kyrgyzstan

2022 is also a milestone year in China's development history. The Communist Party of China successfully convened the 20th National Congress, and formulated a grand blueprint for comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization. Chinese-style modernization is the result of the long-term practice and exploration of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people. It is not only of great significance to China's development, but will also have a positive impact on the development of countries including Kyrgyzstan. Chinese-style modernization will promote the common prosperity of more than 1.4 billion Chinese people, provide a super-large-scale market for the world, promote the coordinated development of material civilization and spiritual civilization, and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and will promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. A China that is constantly moving towards modernization will surely make greater contributions to the development and progress of all mankind. We firmly believe that Chinese-style modernization will inject new impetus into China-Kyrgyzstan relations and bring new opportunities for the development of Kyrgyzstan.

Looking forward to 2023, China is willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, continue to enrich the new content of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kyrgyzstan, and promote the construction of a community of shared future between China and Kyrgyzstan.

The first is to further strengthen the alignment of strategies, and always be good friends and partners that can be trusted and relied on by each other. There are no major differences and unresolved issues between China and Kyrgyzstan. The two sides will accelerate the implementation of global development initiatives and global security initiatives, jointly safeguard the security and development interests of the two countries and the Central Asian region, jointly defend the basic norms of international relations, and promote the building of a China-Central Asia community with a shared future. Strengthen coordination in international affairs, and deepen mutual support and cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan within the framework of multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and China + the five Central Asian countries.

The second is to further deepen mutual benefit and win-win results. 2023 is the 10th anniversary of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. China is willing to take this opportunity to deepen the high-quality development of the Belt and Road with Kyrgyzstan, and actively promote the upgrading of Kyrgyzstan’s infrastructure and people’s livelihood, such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Ukraine Railway, the New North-South Highway, the Chu River No. 2 Canal, and the renovation of Bishkek’s municipal road network. The improved large-scale project construction will make the Sino-Kyrgyz-Uzbekistan Railway a flagship project for the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. The two parties will jointly cultivate new growth points such as ecological agriculture, e-commerce, cross-border payment, and green energy, and create a green silk road and a digital silk road.

The third is to further intensify people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The two sides will accelerate the establishment of cultural centers and Luban workshops in Kyrgyzstan, and continue to promote exchanges in the fields of women, think tanks, and media. Next year, China will hold the Health Express Kyrgyzstan Brightness Tour in Kyrgyzstan. Chinese experts will perform sight restoration surgery for hundreds of cataract patients in Kyrgyzstan free of charge.

2023 is the first year for China to embark on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way. China's new development will bring new opportunities for the development of Kyrgyzstan and create a new future for China-Kyrgyzstan relations. I believe that in the new year, China and Kyrgyzstan will work together to open a new chapter in promoting the construction of a community of shared future between China and Kyrgyzstan! Editor/He Yuting