Xi meets Kyrgyz, Pakistani presidents in Beijing to strengthen ties, boost BRI projects, and enhance regional cooperation.
Beijing, China, Feb. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Beijing on Wednesday, the first working day after the Spring Festival holidays.
At the invitation of President Xi, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov is paying a state visit to China from February 4 to 7, and President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan's state visit to China lasts from February 4 to 8, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
In the meeting with Japarov, Xi said that bilateral relations have achieved leapfrog development in recent years and been elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, Xinhua reported.
China supports Kyrgyzstan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and stands ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to further align development strategies and expand experience-sharing in state governance, he said.
Japarov said he is delighted to visit China at the beginning of the Chinese New Year and would like to extend his best wishes to President Xi and the Chinese people. He also wishes China a success in hosting the 9th Asian Winter Games.
He lauded the longstanding exchanges between the two countries, noting China is a reliable friend and partner of Kyrgyzstan.
Japarov said Kyrgyzstan will continue to support China on the Taiwan question and issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
During the meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Xi said China and Pakistan enjoy ironclad friendship and are all-weather strategic cooperative partners.
In recent years, the two countries have provided firm political support for each other, maintained close high-level exchanges, and advanced the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and cooperation in various fields, setting a good example for relations between countries, he said.
China stands ready to work with Pakistan to advance their respective modernization drives, accelerate the building of an even closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and make greater contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity, Xi said.
Yang Jin, an associate research fellow with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the visits by the two leaders demonstrate the high level of political mutual trust between the two nations and China, and the strategic partnership guided by the heads of states.
Under the guidance of head-of-state diplomacy, the China-Kyrgyzstan and China-Pakistan relations are stepping into a period of vigorous development, and the all-round cooperation reflects the significant achievements of China's neighborhood diplomacy, Yang said.
Zhu Yongbiao, executive director of the Research Center for the Belt and Road at Lanzhou University, said that inviting the leaders of Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan to China after the Spring Festival reflects the great importance China attaches to its neighbors in Central and South Asian regions.
The visits will further strengthen strategic ties between China and the two countries under the BRI, Zhu said.
Expanding cooperation
On enhancing connectivity, Xi told Kyrgyz president that both countries should contribute to the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway with high standards and high quality, renovate and modernize existing ports simultaneously, and open more passenger and freight flights to facilitate the flow of people and goods.
Xi also called on both sides to create new drivers for growth by expanding cooperation on cross-border e-commerce, big data and artificial intelligence.
Under the joint witness of two presidents, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Bakyt Sydykov, Minister of Economy and Commerce of Kyrgyzstan, signed a joint statement on the launch of negotiations for the China-Kyrgyzstan agreement on trade in services and investment in Beijing on Wednesday.
Moving forward, the two sides will engage in negotiations on issues such as market access and rule-making in the areas of trade in services and investment, based on thorough consultation, read a release by China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday.
According to Pakistani media, during meeting between Chinese and Pakistani presidents, views were exchanged on the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor 2.0. It was said that CPEC will promote regional connectivity, mutual benefits, and prosperity, according to the declaration.
The meeting also emphasized the need for people-to-people contacts and cultural exchanges to strengthen the Pakistan-China community of shared future.
After the meeting, a ceremony was held, where memoranda of understanding were signed to enhance cooperation in various fields, including science and technology, media, energy, and socio-economic development, Radio Pakistan reported.
The friendly atmosphere of the visits of the two heads of state and the signing of relevant documents between China and the two countries not only consolidates the achievements and dynamics of the existing cooperation, but also lays a better foundation at the strategic level for the further enhancement of the strategic partnership, Zhu said.
The Eurasian region is currently facing conflicts between countries and ethnic groups, and challenges posed by the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism intervening with great power games, Yang Jin said.
The comprehensive cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan, and with Pakistan will inject more certainty and predictability into the stability of the entire region, Zhu said.
This article first appeared in the Global Times:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202502/1327915.shtml
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