President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov met with Vice Premier of the State Council of China Liu Guozhong. The press service of the head of state reported.
The parties discussed issues of deepening bilateral cooperation in trade, economic, transport, logistics, and investment areas of mutual interest.
Sadyr Japarov emphasized that China is one of the main trade and investment partners of Kyrgyzstan. He noted that the largest transport project that will bring economic interaction between the two countries to a qualitatively new level should be the construction of China — Kyrgyzstan — Uzbekistan railway. The President is confident that the project will have a multiplier effect on the development of other sectors of the economy.
The parties reached an understanding on the mechanism for implementation of the project, and joint work on the preparation of a tripartite intergovernmental agreement on the implementation of the railway construction project was completed.
The head of state hopes that the implementation of the project will begin in the very near future.
Vice Premier of the State Council of China Liu Guozhong said that the Chinese side was ready to help deepen bilateral cooperation and fill cooperation with practical content.
He noted that in 2023 trade between the countries amounted to almost $20 billion and reached a historic level.
The Vice Premier of the State Council said that China would continue to encourage large Chinese enterprises to invest in the economy of Kyrgyzstan.
Speaking about implementation of large infrastructure projects, Liu Guozhong stated that Chinese President Xi Jinping called for intensifying coordination of the railway construction project. Negotiations on this issue have been going on for 20 years and the time has come for practical implementation.
During the meeting, an exchange of views took place on the opening of additional checkpoints on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border, improving air traffic, and creating a joint investment fund.
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Akylbek Japarov also met with Liu Guozhong. He emphasized the importance of the full operation of Torugart and Irkeshtam checkpoints, which is the main factor in the further increase in mutual trade between the two countries.
The Kyrgyz side is aimed at developing transport and logistics infrastructure, removing restrictions that impede trade, and creating mutually beneficial conditions for it.
«We would like to expand our capabilities and switch to daily and round-the-clock operation of checkpoints. I believe this will also be useful for the Chinese side, as it will allow an even larger volume of cargo and goods to be exported from China to Kyrgyzstan, and then to third countries. We are aiming to increase capacity to 1,000 vehicles per day,» Akylbek Japarov said.
The large-scale Chinese market is open to the export of Kyrgyz agricultural products, Vice Premier of the State Council of China Liu Guozhong said.
The head of the Cabinet of Ministers asked the Chinese side to assist in accelerating the construction of a supervisory warehouse in Ulugchat customs zone near Torugart and Irkeshtam checkpoints for receiving and storing agricultural products from Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz Republic also expects to sign protocols with China on new types of agricultural products and simplification of procedures for their export.
