Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's just-concluded trip to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Russia has taken pragmatic cooperation with the four Eurasian countries and the wider region a stride forward. [Special coverage]
In addition to paying official visits to the four countries, Li also attended the 15th prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and a meeting with leaders of 16 Central and Eastern European (CEE) nations.
From synergizing development strategies, boosting production capacity cooperation to signing new cooperation documents with the countries concerned, the premier's tight schedule has yielded fruitful results in a wide range of areas.
BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE TO CONJOIN WITH KYRGYZ DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
At a meeting with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sooronbay Jeenbekov in Bishkek, Li said China is willing to translate the high-level political mutual trust with Kyrgyzstan into more substantial cooperation results.
The two economies are highly complementary with abundant points of converging interests and great potentials for cooperation, said the premier.
Li said his country is willing to conjoin the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with Kyrgyzstan's development strategy, and push forward production capacity cooperation.
Li also expressed the hope that Kyrgyzstan will further improve its investment environment.
For his part, Jeenbekov said Kyrgyzstan is willing to further increase political dialogues with China and boost the building of the Belt and Road Initiative through bilateral economic cooperation.
Kyrgyzstan would also carry forward the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway project and highway projects in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz prime minister said.
After the meeting, the two leaders released a joint communique between the two countries and witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation documents in such fields as economy, technology, production capacity, transport, agriculture and intellectual property rights.
The SCO prime ministers' meeting, which was also held in Bishkek, concluded with a six-pronged proposal by Premier Li, who called upon all its members to enhance cooperation in security, economic development, production capacity, innovation, regional financing and people-to-people exchanges.
SILK ROAD ECONOMIC BELT ALIGNING WITH KAZAKHSTAN'S BRIGHT ROAD
Upon his arrival in Kazakhstan, Li said China and the country have carried out fruitful cooperation, especially in production capacity, which has played a leading and exemplary role.
When meeting with his Kazakh counterpart, Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Li pledged to better align China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative with Kazakhstan's new economic policy of the Bright Road to usher in a new phase of bilateral cooperation.
The Chinese premier called on efforts to explore potentials through production capacity cooperation and the construction of major projects on connectivity.
China is willing to expand cooperation with Kazakhstan to set a good example of good neighborly relations and win-win cooperation, the premier said.
For his part, Sagintayev said Kazakhstan would like to integrate its new economic policy of the Bright Road with China's Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, and further deepen cooperation in production capacity, transport, energy, agriculture and innovation.
During his meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Li reiterated China's willingness to augment production capacity cooperation with Kazakhstan, and expand cooperation in energy, connectivity and deep processing of agricultural products.
Nazarbayev hailed Kazakhstan-China ties as a model of friendly cooperation between countries, saying Kazakhstan stands ready to boost cooperation in production capacity with China and push forward the implementation of more projects in the Central Asian country.
Kazakhstan is also willing to expand cooperation with China in energy, agriculture and technology innovation, and strengthen bilateral trade, Nazarbayev said.
