Mao Ning profile photo Photo: official website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

China fully agrees with the high appraisal China-Kyrgyzstan relationship by Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Kyrgyzstan. China and Kyrgyzstan are good neighbors, good friends, good partners and brothers, a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 30 years ago, China and Kyrgyzstan have made marked progress in bilateral relations and yielded new results in practical cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, friendship, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, Mao Ning, the spokesperson from the ministry, said during a routine press briefing in Beijing.

Mao's remarks responded to recent remarks made by Zhaparov.

"If a party is driven by selfless goals, striving for the common good, prosperity, well-being of the people, then such a party will always be supported by its people," Zhaparov said during an interview when speaking of the Communist Party of China (CPC), according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The Chinese people's satisfaction with the CPC and the government has remained above 90 percent, according to the poll conducted for over a decade by Harvard University. And per a report released by Edelman, a consulting firm on public relations, Chinese people's trust in the government reached 91 percent in 2021, ranking first in the world. This fully validates President Zhaparov's judgment, Mao said.

"The reason why the CPC is loved and supported by the people is that it has always been people-centered, and committed to pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the nation," Mao noted.

Zhaparov also said that for more than 40 years China has successfully implemented the policy of reform and opening-up, consistently improved people's living standards, and increased its prestige in the world.

Mao said that Chinese people fully agrees with President Zhaparov's high appraisal of China-Kyrgyzstan relations.

"China is glad to see that under the leadership of President Zhaparov, Kyrgyzstan has enjoyed political stability, economic development and social prosperity. China is ready to work with Kyrgyzstan to deepen cooperation, share experience on governance, forge ahead on the path of common development, and to create an even better future for China-Kyrgyzstan relations," said Mao.

Mao said that China and Kyrgyzstan have achieved fruitful results under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which was mentioned multiple times by the Kyrgyz president during the interview. Zhaparov said that Kyrgyzstan is one of the earliest supporters of and participants in BRI cooperation.

Infrastructure projects under BRI, such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan International Highway, have helped Kyrgyzstan's economy and development. 

The implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project will be an important step to fully unleash the potential of the region, the Kyrgyz president said.

The feasibility study of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project kicked off on August 3, said China's top economic planner. According to the plan, the length of the line will be 523 kilometers, with 213 kilometers in China, 260 kilometers in Kyrgyzstan, and 50 kilometers in Uzbekistan. 

The railway will be the shortest route for transporting goods from China to Europe and the Middle East, cutting travel times seven to eight days.

Global Times