China, Kyrgyzstan vow to boost economic cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambaev in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 11, 2013. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

China and Kyrgyzstan vowed on Wednesday to upgrade bilateral economic cooperation and achieve common development based on the principle of equality and mutual benefits.  [Special coverage]

The two countries made the pledge in a joint declaration issued after talks between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambaev.

The Chinese president arrived here late Tuesday for his first state visit to the Central Asian country, where he will also attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

In the declaration, the two countries agreed that practical cooperation provides a material base for developing bilateral strategic partnership, saying that economic and trade cooperation should become an important part of the strategic partnership.

They vowed to make joint efforts to upgrade bilateral trade structure, create conditions for importing products of each other, expand trade volume, and improve the laws and regulations governing trade exchanges.

The two sides also agreed to encourage the establishment of new joint ventures and assembly plants, the document said.

China and Kyrgyzstan pledged to strengthen cooperation on energy and positively promote the implementation of electric grid projects, saying that they will try to attract more direct investment in this area.

They expressed satisfaction with the successful completion of the power grid upgrading project in southern Kyrgyzstan, pledging to carry out the renewal of a thermal power plant in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The two countries agreed that modern and cheap energy supply remains a key factor to achieving sustainable development, and China, said the declaration, supports Kyrgyzstan's efforts to develop stable energy resources.

Moreover, the two sides vowed to boost cooperation in communications and transportation, and study the possibility of establishing cross-border infrastructure facilities.

They hailed the successful completion of several road restoration projects in Kyrgyzstan, saying that it has huge significance to the development of bilateral cooperation on economy and trade.

The two countries pledged to advance Kyrgyzstan's transit transportation capacity.

China and Kyrgyzstan also vowed to share experience on how to improve radio spectrum usage by adopting new means and technology, and to deepen cooperation on digital terrestrial television broadcast.

Besides, the two countries will boost agricultural cooperation, the declaration said, adding that they encourage and support the two countries' enterprises to conduct cooperation in producing agricultural machinery, chemical fertilizer and agricultural products, and to set up agricultural technology centers in Kyrgyzstan.

They agreed to abide by the local laws and take into account the views of the local people when they implement joint projects, according to the document.

The two countries will give full play to an economic and trade cooperation committee between China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Kyrgyzstan, and take advantage of international economic and trade expos to expand and deepen the cooperation between Xinjiang and designated states in Kyrgyzstan.

In order to further economic cooperation, they will promote contact between China's provinces and Kyrgyzstan's states, and consider conducting transportation and logistics cooperation between the airports in China's eastern provinces and Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek and Osh.

The two countries also vowed to make mutually-beneficial policies to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Kyrgyzstan is the last stop of Xi's ongoing overseas trip, which has taken him to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. He also attended a Group of 20 summit on Sept. 5-6 in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.