Chinese president, Kyrgyz speaker agree to promote cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping met here Wednesday with Kyrgyz Parliament Speaker Asylbek Zheenbekov and urged the two sides to further promote bilateral cooperation. With the establishment of the China-Kyrgyzstan strategic partnership, bilateral relations now enjoy more opportunities and a more promising prospect, said Xi. China is ready to work closely with Kyrgyzstan to build a Silk Road economic belt along the ancient business route so as to promote common development and prosperity, Xi said. Xi spoke highly of the role the two nations' legislative bodies play in developing bilateral relations, and called on the two sides to boost exchanges and learn from each other's experience in national governance and legal system construction. For his part, Zheenbekov said Xi's visit has lifted bilateral relations to a new high, as the two countries have just agreed to upgrade their relationship to a strategic partnership. Kyrgyzstan, said the speaker, is willing to seize the opportunity to speed up bilateral cooperation and work with China to build the Silk Road economic belt. He also hoped that the two countries will further step up friendly exchanges between their legislatures. Xi arrived here Tuesday for a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, the last stop of his ongoing overseas tour, which has taken him to Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and a Group of 20 summit in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. The Chinese president will also attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit to be held here later this week.