China has signed memoranda of understanding to establish investment and industrial cooperation work teams with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, a significant move for China to enhance levels of cooperation and expand space for cooperation with the two countries, according to a statement on the website of China's Commerce Ministry on Sunday.

The agreements were signed on Thursday with Kyrgyzstan and signed on Saturday with Tajikistan, read the statement.

According to the statement, relevant departments from China, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will guide local enterprises, chambers of commerce, financial institutions and local authorities to enhance information sharing and project promotion under the framework of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Discussions on improving the investment environment and protecting enterprises' legitimate rights will be held, and barriers and issues involving specific projects that hinder further cooperation will be also studied, in a bid to promote the high-quality development of China's investment cooperation with both countries, the statement said.

In the past few years, China's economic and trade ties with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have yielded fruitful results under the BRI. China is both the largest source of investment and trading partner of Kyrgyzstan with trade of $5.61 billion in 2018. China is Tajikistan's largest source of investment and third-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade amounted to $1.51 billion in 2018, up about 10 percent year-on-year, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

China is looking forward to signing more cooperation documents with Kyrgyzstan in  trade, investment, quarantine procedures and agriculture, and cooperating with Tajikistan in trade, investment, quarantine, environmental protection, agriculture, cultural tourism and science and technology.