Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen: Good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers have become a vivid portrayal of friendly relations between China and Kyrgyzstan

Source: China Radio and Television Corporation International Online

Editor: Zhao Yan

Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen

International Online News (Reporter Cao Shengji): On January 5, 2022, China and Kyrgyzstan celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Ms. Du Dewen, Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, said that over the past 30 years, the political mutual trust between China and Kyrgyzstan has been deepening, pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results, security cooperation has been continuously expanded, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges have been full of bright spots. Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership has reached an all-time high. Good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers have become a vivid portrayal of the current friendly relations between China and Kyrgyzstan.

In the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the relations between China and Kyrgyzstan have always maintained a stable and healthy development. Ambassador Du Dewen elaborated on the 30-year development process of China-Kyrgyzstan relations and the fruitful results achieved from five aspects. "First, political mutual trust is deepening. The two countries have successfully resolved the border issue left over from history, and bilateral relations have achieved a historical leap from good-neighborliness and friendship to strategic partners to comprehensive strategic partners. Second, pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results. In the 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the bilateral trade volume between China and Kyrgyzstan has increased by nearly 180 times. Third, security cooperation is constantly expanding. The military, law enforcement and security departments of the two countries have actively carried out counterpart cooperation, established a cross-departmental and cross-regional security cooperation mechanism, and jointly safeguarded the security and stability of the two countries and regions. Fourth, there are many bright spots in people-to-people exchanges. The premiere ceremony of the first volume of the Jiwen edition of "Xi Jinping on Governing the Country" was successfully held in Kyrgyzstan, and the "Chinese fever" and "studying in China fever" have always maintained their popularity in Kyrgyzstan, and 4 Confucius Institutes and 21 Confucius Classrooms provide an important platform for Kyrgyz students to learn Chinese and Chinese culture. Fifth, anti-epidemic cooperation has added new connotations to the friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan. It can be said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kyrgyzstan has reached the highest level in history, and good neighbors, good friends, good partners and good brothers have become a vivid portrayal of the current friendly relations between China and Kyrgyzstan. ”

Economic and trade cooperation is an important force in promoting the in-depth development of the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership. China is Kyrgyzstan's largest trading partner and the largest source of investment, Ambassador Du Dewen said that in the case of the repeated covid-19 epidemic, China and Kyrgyzstan have jointly overcome the impact of the epidemic on economic and trade cooperation, and the relevant measures have achieved remarkable results. "The COVID-19 epidemic has had a negative impact on the global economy, and china and Kyrgyzstan have also encountered difficulties in economic and trade cooperation," she said. Due to the poor passage of goods at the ports of China and Kyrgyzstan, the bilateral trade volume once fell sharply. In the face of the new situation and new problems, China and Kyrgyzstan have always followed the spirit of good-neighborliness, friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership, moved in the same direction, and worked together to overcome the negative impact of the epidemic on bilateral cooperation. The first is to assist enterprises to organize chartered flights to transport personnel back to work and promote the resumption of work and production of major projects along the 'Belt and Road'; second, to establish a joint epidemic prevention and control mechanism at China-Kyrgyzstan border ports to strengthen communication and coordination; third, internal and external linkage to facilitate emergency customs clearance materials. The Special Affairs Office vigorously coordinates major livelihood projects such as the Ji hydropower station and thermal power plant, as well as the timely clearance of key projects such as the New North-South Highway and other key projects of the 'Belt and Road'. The relevant measures have achieved remarkable results. According to Chinese statistics, the trade volume between China and Kyrgyzstan reached US$6.317 billion from January to November 2021, an increase of 130.9% year-on-year. At present, the global epidemic situation is still not optimistic, and the two sides will continue to work together to ensure the continuous advancement of economic, trade and major project cooperation between the two countries. ”

Kyrgyzstan is also an important country participating in the joint construction of the "Belt and Road". Through the joint efforts of both sides, China and Kyrgyzstan have cooperated in the implementation of a series of key projects under the framework of jointly building the "Belt and Road". Ambassador Du Dewen pointed out that in the future, the two sides will continue to deepen cooperation in traditional fields and actively expand new growth points. "A few days ago, Kyrgyz President Zaparov spoke highly of the 'Belt and Road' cooperation project between Kyrgyzstan and China in his speech at the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kyrgyzstan, saying that the new Kyrgyz government will continue to support and strengthen cooperation between the two countries under the framework of the 'Belt and Road', which will create better conditions and environment for Chinese companies to invest and develop in Kyrgyzstan." Looking forward to the future, the two sides will continue to deepen cooperation in traditional fields such as economy and trade, energy, transportation and agriculture, and actively expand new growth points such as digital economy, medical and health care, and cross-border e-commerce. Further strengthen the docking of the 'Belt and Road' initiative with Kyrgyzstan's national development plan before 2026, and accelerate the promotion of strategic major projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan (Zbekstan) railway." Parallelly, we will promote the 'hard connection' of railways, highways, ports and other infrastructure and the 'soft connection' of institutional rules, so that the cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan in jointly building the 'Belt and Road' will continue to improve and upgrade, benefit the people of the two countries, and serve the development of the two countries and regions." ”

In the past 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, Sino-Kyrgyz relations have developed by leaps and bounds. Ambassador Du Dewen said that China and Kyrgyzstan will take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as a new starting point to promote the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Kyrgyzstan to a new level. "On January 5, President Xi Jinping and President Zaparov exchanged congratulatory letters on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kyrgyzstan, and spoke highly of the achievements of the 30 years of development of bilateral relations," she said. It is believed that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the two sides will take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as a new starting point to promote the China-Kyrgyzstan comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level. The two sides will focus on the following three directions: First, seek common development and prosperity. The two sides will make full use of the Belt and Road cooperation platform, further encourage mutual investment, step up major projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway, and jointly promote the implementation of the 'Global Development Initiative' proposed by President Xi Jinping to achieve stronger, greener and healthier development for the benefit of the two peoples; the second is to maintain security and stability." The two sides will strengthen cooperation in combating traditional and non-traditional security threats such as the 'three forces' and jointly safeguard the sovereignty, security and development interests of both sides. The third is to enhance people-to-people ties. The two sides will strengthen and expand cooperation between the two countries in the fields of culture, education, media, women and youth, and further promote mutual understanding and affinity between the two peoples. ”

Ambassador Du Dewen said that after a thousand years of friendship between China and Kyrgyzstan, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Kyrgyzstan has yielded fruitful results, and the two sides will take the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as a new starting point and work together to create a better tomorrow for China-Kyrgyzstan relations!