China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation sees tangible benefits
Development of relations strengthens mutual trust, boosts shared prosperity
Kyrgyzstan was among the earliest countries to support and participate in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) initiated by China. Baktygulov said the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will help Kyrgyzstan integrate more deeply into international logistics networks and create conditions for greater economic diversification.
Launched in December 2024, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is scheduled for completion in 2031. Construction of three key tunnels on the Kyrgyzstan section began in April 2025, marking substantive progress on the main line. Once operational, it is expected to shorten freight routes from China to the Middle East and southern Europe by about 900 kilometers and reduce transport time by seven to eight days.
China has remained Kyrgyzstan's largest trading partner, leading source of foreign direct investment and largest source of imports. Chinese customs data show that bilateral trade reached $27.2 billion in 2025, up 20 percent year-on-year.
Baktygulov said that cooperation should not stop at expanding trade. Projects involving Chinese companies — including a 100-megawatt solar power plant and a waste-to-energy facility in Kyrgyzstan's capital city Bishkek — along with the use of Chinese-made electric buses in the city's public transportation system, are broadening cooperation into industry, energy and green technologies.
"This is not simply about introducing equipment and technologies," he said. "It also involves transferring expertise and upgrading Kyrgyzstan's infrastructure."
Temir Sariev, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kyrgyzstan and a former prime minister of the country, said the value of studying China's development path and governance experience lies in applying relevant lessons to Kyrgyzstan's own development.
Kyrgyzstan should "draw on these lessons to better serve our people", he said, calling for governance exchanges to be translated into new momentum for investment, innovation and growth.
He said bilateral relations are at their strongest in history, supported by mutual trust, mutual respect and sustained high-level dialogue. This political foundation, he said, has created favorable conditions for deeper economic and technological cooperation.
