China, Kyrgyzstan to further cooperation on green development, regional security: joint statement

China and Kyrgyzstan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on green development and pledged to further safeguard regional security and stability, according to a joint statement issued on Sunday.

The joint statement came following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and incoming Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, who attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Winter Games.

The two sides spoke highly of the current development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations and underscored the need to strengthen all-round cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.

The two leaders pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, the two countries have forged and developed a partnership of friendliness and trust, and carried out mutually beneficial cooperation in such areas as politics, economy, culture and security, it said.

Attaching great importance to the implementation of economic, social and infrastructure cooperation projects of great significance to Kyrgyzstan, the two leaders spoke highly of the MoU on promoting investment cooperation in green development signed during this meeting, the statement said.

The joint efforts of the two countries have laid a solid foundation for their cooperation, and close political exchanges have pushed for substantial development of bilateral practical cooperation, it added.

The two heads of state believe that cooperation in such fields as infrastructure construction, transportation, energy, processing, agriculture, mining, digitalization, tourism and at the local level, as well as in combating climate change and developing green energy, are important directions for bilateral economic and trade cooperation with broad prospects, according to the statement.

The two countries will continue to tap cooperation potential, expand trade, optimize trade structure and process, and promote the balanced development of mutually beneficial bilateral economic and trade cooperation, it said.

They will strengthen cooperation in the prevention and control of the cross-border spread of COVID-19, and ensure that the number of transit cargo vehicles between the two countries returns to the pre-pandemic level, it added.

Noting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the main driving force for economic, social and cultural cooperation projects between the two countries, the two heads of state believe that the Belt and Road cooperation should give full play to the potential of transportation and transit transportation, and the development of existing and new routes, especially the construction of new railway lines including the China-Kyrgyztan-Uzbekistan railway, is of great significance to the economic and social development of the region.

The statement said both sides are willing to accelerate the project, which will be an important step to fully tap the potential of transit transportation in Central Asia and an important link to promote the BRI.

Maintaining regional security and stability has always been one of the priorities of the two countries' foreign policies, said the statement.

Recently, the world is facing various global threats and challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and regional security issues resulting from the spillover of the situation in Afghanistan, it said.

Both sides believe that it is imperative to support each other on such major issues as fighting the pandemic and maintaining regional security and stability, the statement added.

They are willing to further enhance coordination and mutual trust as well as strengthen cooperation between relevant departments of the two countries in such issues as regional security and quick response to security and stability threats of the two countries and the region, according to the document.