Bakyt Torobaev, deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Photo: Courtesy of Bakyt Torobaev

Editor's Note:

On Tuesday, Bakyt Torobaev, deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, held a meeting with representatives of many Chinese businesses to boost trade and investment cooperation with China. Following the meeting, the Global Times reporter Wang Cong interviewed Torobaev. The following is an excerpt from the interview.

GT: What are the main goals of your trip to China? And what have been achieved so far?

Torobaev: At the invitation of the vice premier of China's State Council, we participated in the 2023 Global Sustainable Transport Forum. In my speech there, I said that we should further advance cooperation in the transport sector. Transportation is the same as the human blood circulation system. By developing transportation, we can increase trade cooperation. The directions of cooperation with Kyrgyzstan include the construction of railways, the construction of renewable energy power plants, the development of irrigation water technology, the development of education, etc. We hope to have closer cooperation with China in all fields.

GT: What are the top areas that have great potential for China-Kyrgyzstan cooperation?

Torobaev: Priority industries that need development are agriculture, high-tech fields, hydropower, and mineral resource development. We provide all conveniences for Chinese enterprises, and we hope that Chinese goods can be sold to other countries through Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and has obtained the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) with 6,200 products that can be exported to Europe. We hope to become a dry port for Chinese products exported to other countries.