Bishkek (TDI): Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov formalized a landmark upgrade in bilateral relations on Monday.
Both leaders signed a Treaty on Permanent Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation alongside a Joint Declaration on the high-quality development of the China–Kyrgyzstan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for a New Era.
The signing took place at the conclusion of formal state talks in the Kyrgyz capital, coinciding with Xi’s attendance at the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and Kyrgyzstan’s 35th Independence Day.
Xi said that the signing of the treaty would provide “an important legal foundation for the everlasting friendship and firm mutual support between the two countries.”
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Speaking at the welcoming ceremony upon his arrival in Bishkek on Monday, Xi described the current stage of China–Kyrgyzstan cooperation as having entered a “golden period” of rapid development, with both countries working to translate longstanding friendship and strong political mutual trust into broader cooperation and greater benefits for their people.
Japarov, for his part, said the signing of the treaty would “open up broader prospects for bilateral relations,” and characterized China as “his country’s closest friend and most reliable partner in foreign policy.” He also underscored that Kyrgyzstan firmly adheres to the one-China principle.
Beyond the treaty, the two sides signed over 20 additional cooperation documents spanning science and technology, education, culture, media, investment, transportation, customs, and sister-city relations.
Xi specifically called for advancing the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway as a founding priority, describing it as a major transportation artery carrying “the development aspirations of the people across the region.”
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Japarov reciprocated, expressing Bishkek’s readiness to turn the railway into what he called a “steel Silk Road” for the new era.
On regional security, the two presidents agreed to expand cooperation in law enforcement, jointly combating the “three evil forces” of terrorism, extremism, and separatism, as well as drug trafficking and transnational crime.
The SCO summit has brought together Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other member-state leaders. Xi is scheduled to continue his regional tour with a visit to Egypt following the Bishkek summit.
Kyrgyzstan, as host, is simultaneously advancing the establishment of an SCO Development Fund and Investment Fund for major regional projects, with economic connectivity and new energy corridors as key objectives.
Japarov separately received UN Secretary-General António Guterres, with attention given to Kyrgyzstan’s forthcoming term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2027–2028, and met US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, Sergio Gor, to discuss cooperation under the C5+1 format.
