Madam Ambassador, what benefits and advantages do these relations bring to the peoples of the two countries?
Aktilek Musayeva: It should be noted that our countries have deep roots of interaction since the times of the Great Silk Road. These relations have been developing for thousands of years, but after the independence of Kyrgyzstan, a new round of development of Kyrgyz-Chinese bilateral relations began. For 30 years, a solid contractual legal framework has been created and political cooperation has developed rapidly. To date, there is absolutely no political difference between Kyrgyzstan and China. This is our first achievement, I think. The parties signed an agreement of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation. The question of a common border with a length of one thousand kilometers, which connects our two States, has been resolved. It was a very significant achievement at the time. After that, we gradually developed trade and economic cooperation. Chinese companies are currently represented in all sectors of Kyrgyzstan’s economy, including trade, mining, food and textile industries. Our trade and economic relations are so interconnected that we can no longer imagine the work of our companies without each other. As for cultural and humanitarian cooperation, it must be recognized that it has not developed so closely. I think that in the post-pandemic period we will catch up and give new impetus to the dynamics of developing relations both in the cultural and humanitarian sphere and in the tourism cluster.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. How do you assess this Chinese initiative?
Aktilek Musaeva: Kyrgyzstan is one of the first countries to support President Xi Jinping’s initiative, announced in 2013. This initiative has linked many of our projects in the trade and economic sphere, the implementation of which is fully in line with fundamental interests of the Kyrgyz people and our state. First of all, it is trade and investment cooperation. Chinese companies have invested in many projects in the Kyrgyz Republic. The implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project is expected. We hope to increase the volume of transit traffic from the Kyrgyz Republic and to intensify trade throughout the region. As a strategic project, it will promote both our bilateral trade and economic cooperation with the People’s Republic of China and the expansion of trade throughout the Central Asian region. Today, the issues of modernization of two checkpoints, expansion of the throughput capacity of the Torugart and Irkeshtan checkpoints are on the agenda. The parties are also discussing the opening of a third checkpoint. I believe that with the expansion of this initiative, specific projects will be implemented that will affect the well-being of the people of Kyrgyzstan, western parts of China and much of Central Asia.
Can you talk about the global significance of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia?
Aktilek Musayeva: Within the framework of Central Asia, there is regional integration, movement, movement of goods. A global supply chain is being created, including production from the initial chain to the full cycle. In Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, there is a very strong activation in this direction of the economy, which, of course, will have a positive impact on the level of income of the population, on improving the quality life of our peoples. I believe this fully meets the fundamental interests of the people of Central Asian countries and China.
What is Kyrgyzstan’s general view of Chinese business, how interested are people in your country in cooperation with Chinese companies?
Aktilek Musayeva: After Kyrgyzstan’s independence, many Chinese companies came to the country. About 80% of raw materials are supplied to markets in Kyrgyzstan by Chinese businessmen. A part comes from Russia, Turkey, but in terms of percentage, the presence of Chinese companies in Kyrgyzstan is quite noticeable. We have several Chinese trade and economic cooperation associations with which we are in constant dialogue. In addition, the government of Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to improving the business environment for Chinese entrepreneurs. A law on the protection of foreign investors has been adopted, and a law on the granting of investment visas to Chinese entrepreneurs has been adopted. Today we are discussing with the Chinese side the signing of an additional agreement on the provision of short-term or visa-free business travel on a parity basis.
In what areas do China and Kyrgyzstan interact in humanitarian projects?
Aktilek Musayeva: Today, many students study with us on the territory of the People’s Republic of China. Almost every educational institution has a Chinese language study department. In addition, there are four Confucius Institutes on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. We also plan to open a Lu Ban workshop. This year we plan to sign an agreement on the opening of cultural centers in Bishkek and Beijing. It is also a very big step for us. And I would like to express my gratitude to the Chinese government, as ambassador, for adding Kyrgyzstan to the list of recommended countries for the visit. We are expecting Chinese tourists. We also presented a proposal to sign an additional agreement for short-term visa-free travel, so that citizens of Kyrgyzstan can also come to China for a short period and have the opportunity to experience not only the western region of China , from Xinjiang, but also from the interior of China. Every year, the number of students wishing to learn Chinese increases. All this is due to the rapid growth of the Chinese economy.
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