CRI听力:Kyrgyz president hopes to upgrade China-Kyrgyzstan ties

Kyrgyzstan's President Sooronbai Jeenbekov says he hopes that his state visit to China this week will give a positive boost to the China-Kyrgyzstan relationship.

President Jeenbekov is set to begin his state visit to China on June 6th, his first visit to China since he took office as president in November 2017.

During his visit, the Kyrgyz president will attend the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao this weekend.

Ahead of his visit, President Jeenbekov spoke positively about the bilateral relations between Kyrgyzstan and China.

"Since Kyrgyzstan and China established diplomatic ties, remarkable progress has been made in the bilateral relationship. We have consolidated good neighborly and friendly relations, and established a cooperative partnership based on mutual trust. We are cooperating in various sectors including politics, trade, economy, science and technology, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. We have also maintained high-level cooperation in the security sector. I can say with confidence that the foundation of our bilateral relationship is quite solid," said Jeenbekov.

The Kyrgyz president also said that investment from China has boosted the development not only of Kyrgyzstan, but all of the countries along the ancient Silk Road, vowing that Kyrgyzstan will take steps to further protect the interests of Chinese investors.

"China is Kyrgyzstan's biggest trading partner and main investor. Currently there are over 2,000 Chinese enterprises operating in Kyrgyzstan. Foreign investment plays an important role in a country's development, so we highly appreciate and cherish China's investments in Kyrgyzstan. We hope that Chinese enterprises in Kyrgyzstan can enjoy a better business environment, and we have laws and regulations to protect their legal interests," said Jeenbekov.

President Jeenbekov added that he is looking forward to meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit, and that one of his goals is to transform the China-Kyrgyzstan relationship into a comprehensive strategic partnership.

"I will pay a state visit to China in the next few days. Our partnership will be advanced based on mutual trust and mutual respect. I hope that bilateral ties can be boosted in all aspects, especially in the political sector. During my visit to China, a joint statement announcing a lift in our ties to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership is expected to be signed," said Jeenbekov.

China and Kyrgyzstan established a strategic partnership in September 2013.

Kyrgyzstan was one of the five founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization when it was established in 2001 in Shanghai.