Premier embarks on four-nation trip

China's Premier Li Keqiang arrived in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan on Nov 2, kicking off his eight-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Russia.

After arriving in Kyrgyzstan, he paid a visit to the Chinese embassy in Bishkek, which was attacked by terrorists with a car bomb, injuring 3 people, on August 30.

Li says it is urgent to repair damage to the embassy, saying security should be strengthened to ensure the safety of those who work and live in the embassy.

Li then met Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sooronbay Jeenbekov and signed a joint communiqu between the respective governments.

The two leaders also witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation contracts for several fields, including economy, technology, production capacity, transportation, agriculture and intellectual property.

Li says: "China and Kyrgyzstan are friendly neighbors and strategic partners. The two countries maintain mutual trust in politics and close communication by high-level officials."

Li notes the economies of the two countries are highly complementary, giving great potential for cooperation.

He says China is willing to push the coordination between Belt and Road initiatives and Kyrgyz development strategy, and accelerate cooperation in fields of transport infrastructure and as agricultural production.

The government heads talked about international and regional concerns, such as the anti-terrorism campaign and cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organization members.

During the trip, Li was due to meet Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev. The government heads were together signing capacity cooperation agreements.

Li's visit to Latvia is a historical occasion, the first by a Chinese Premier since Latvia gained independence.

During his visit, Li was due to attend the 5th meeting of heads of government of Central and Eastern European countries and China in the capital, Riga, and deliver a keynote speech.

The visit to Russia will be the highlight of the trip. In return for inviting his Russian counterpart to his home area - Anhui province - last year, Li has been invited to the hometown of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev - St. Petersburg, where the Russian government has decided to hold the welcoming ceremony. This is rare as the foreign government heads are usually welcomed in Moscow.

A series of activities are to be held in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, as the two countries are holding the 2016-2017 China-Russia Media Exchange Year.

renqi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/04/2016 page14)