Ex-Kyrgyz PM lauds China's drive against corruption

Efforts to strengthen Party discipline and combat corruption are important for improving the Communist Party of China's governance capacity and earning public support, said former prime minister of Kyrgyz Republic Djoomart Otorbaev.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with China Daily as the four-day fifth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee opened on Monday, Otorbaev said the meeting was significant because of the central role the CPC plays in shaping China's development.

The ongoing plenary session is not only an internal process for China, he said, adding it is also an opportunity for other countries to reflect on what they can learn from it.

Otorbaev said he appreciated the CPC's willingness to openly address challenges within the Party, including disciplinary issues and corruption, and to adjust its governance mechanisms in response to changing domestic and international circumstances.

"This is a good example for all of us, because the integrity of public servants and decisions made by public institutions must be truly supported by the population," he said, adding that combating corruption is important to ensuring integrity in the decision-making process.

He also highlighted the CPC's role in giving instructions to the government on long-term planning and identifying priorities, saying the world views long-term planning as a very good mechanism for the future.

He said the developing countries, particularly those in the Global South, could learn from China's governance experience, including both its achievements and challenges.

Otorbaev, who attended the 2026 Global Governance Forum last week in the Xiong'an New Area, Hebei province, said international institutions have remained largely unchanged despite drastic changes in the global economic and political landscape since the end of World War II.

The representation of developing countries in some international institutions remains inadequate, he added.

Joint actions urged

"It's time to reconsider, not to dismantle, but to reform institutions," he said, calling for joint efforts to make the global governance system fairer and reflect the growing importance of the Global South.

Otorbaev said regional cooperation mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are important mechanisms of cooperation in Asia, bringing together countries of different sizes and with different political systems and economic strengths.

These regional groupings could serve as examples of how countries can build partnerships through consultation and consensus, he said, adding that he believes Asia could show examples of how to form partnerships and explore a fairer way to build principles of future global governance.

Beyond multilateral cooperation, Otorbaev highlighted the transformation of China's economic engagement with Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries over the past decade.

Economic cooperation has expanded from infrastructure and trade in natural resources to manufacturing, higher value-added industries and advanced technologies, he said.

He welcomed China's emphasis on modernization and high-quality development under its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), saying these priorities are closely aligned with Central Asian countries' aspirations for economic transformation. He noted that the digital economy, green energy and artificial intelligence are promising areas for future cooperation.

"If you look at each of these priorities, they belong to technologies of the 21st century … We are on board, we are really happy that we will be joining with China on this route together," he said.