Xi to meet Uzbek president

Chinese President Xi Jinping is about to meet Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Monday afternoon.

Xi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday afternoon for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2026 and a state visit to Kyrgyzstan at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov.

China and Kyrgyzstan are broadening their cooperation and deepening their economic ties to transform a relationship traditionally built on trade and infrastructure into a future-focused partnership that embraces emerging technologies.

Bilateral trade has surged from 53 million U.S. dollars when the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1992 to 27.2 billion dollars in 2025, an increase of more than 400 folds.

"The two countries signed agreement on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the New Era. Both sides are trying to find a new model to make a breakthrough in their traditional cooperation, almost in every field," said Xu Wenhong, deputy secretary-general of the One Belt One Road Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Infrastructure and connectivity have emerged as major pillars of cooperation. New roads and border crossings are improving links between the two countries.

"In the past, transporting a truckload of goods from Kyrgyzstan to China or vise versa could take about a week. And now, it takes only one or two days to deliver the cargo," said Hou Huxiang, general manager of Kyrgyzstan Office at the China Road and Bridge Corporation.

The long-awaited China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is moving from years of planning into construction. For Kyrgyzstan, which has no direct access to the sea, experts said these expanding transport links could be transformative to give the country new routes to regional and international markets and help it move beyond the limitations of being landlocked.

"Now, Kyrgyzstan is becoming a land-linked country. Its agricultural products, mineral products, all these things can be shipped out," said Xu.

Beyond traditional sectors, China and Kyrgyzstan are exploring cooperation in the digital economy and frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence, in line with broader regional efforts to expand access to technological development.

Temir Sariyev, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, highlighted the importance of education and talent development as cooperation moves into high-tech areas.

"We need to encourage more students to study in China, as China is a global leader in science and technology, industry, artificial intelligence, and digital technology," said Sariyev.

From infrastructure and trade to agriculture and artificial intelligence, China and Kyrgyzstan are broadening cooperation across both established and emerging sectors. That growing partnership also reflects the broader spirit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to promote shared development, respect each country's own development path, and pursue practical cooperation that can create opportunities for countries across the region.