BEIJING, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- On the eve of Chinese President Hu Jintao's
first-ever visit to Kyrgyzstan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spoke highly of its
expected role in promoting cooperation between the two countries.
It said the upcoming state visit, slated for Aug. 14-15, will enhance
mutual political trust, cooperation, deepen security coordination and expand
practical exchanges.
It added that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the
two countries in 1992, the Sino-Kyrgyz ties have enjoyed sound development, with
both sides supporting each other politically, cooperating economically, learning
from each other culturally and coordinating closely in security.
They settled their territorial dispute left over from history and signed
the Sino-Kyrgyz Friendly Treaty on Good-Neighborly Cooperation in 2002.
In June 2006, Kyrgyz President Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev paid a state
visit to China, which experts said marked the start of a new period of
development in Sino-Kyrgyz relations.
Kyrgyzstan's foreign policy for 2007 states clearly that developing ties
with neighboring China is one of the country's diplomatic priorities and that
Kyrgyzstan is dedicated to enhancing mutual trust and mutually beneficial
cooperation with China at all levels.
Kyrgyzstan views China as a populous country of extensive potential in
politics, military strength and economy, and of substantial regional influence.
In recent years, bilateral economic cooperation has seen rapid development,
making Kyrgyzstan the second largest trade partner of China in central Asia.
According to official statistics, the trade volume between the two
countries hit 2.26 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 128.6 percent from the
previous year.
The trade volume for the first half of this year reached 1.14 billion
dollars, up 73.5 percent from the same period last year. Both countries are
making continued efforts to expand cooperation in a wide range of fields such as
economy and trade, transportation and agriculture.
Kyrgyzstan, a country with a territory of 198,500 square km and a
population of more than 5 million, declared independence in 1991.
