Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

China will allocate about $3 billion for the Kyrgyz projects, Kyrgyz Economy Minister Temir Sariyev told journalists on September 12.

According to the agreements reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Bishkek, China will allocate $1.4 billion for the construction of a 225-kilometer Kyrgyzstan-China gas pipeline with a capacity of 30 billion cubic meters per year, which will be built over two to three years. The pipeline is considered for export of Turkmen gas to China.

Furthermore, China will allocate $400 million for the reconstruction of the Bishkek thermal power plant and the construction of the North-South alternative highway. The Junda oil refinery will receive $400 million for increasing its capacity by 3 million tons of oil per year.

"The funds for the construction of the gas pipeline and increasing the capacity of the oil refinery in Kara-Balta are net investment of the Chinese side. The funds for the reconstruction of the thermal power plant and the construction of the North-South highway are loans with a state guarantee," Sariyev said.

He said further that China intends to be involved in creating a civil hub in the Manas airport. The Chinese side will consider this issue by the withdrawal of the U.S. military base.

During the Chinese president's visit to Kyrgyzstan, which started September 10, the two countries signed seven documents. Furthermore, President Jinping is attending the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

During the meeting of Jinping with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev, the sides signed a joint declaration on the establishment of strategic partnership relations. According to the document, the two countries agreed to raise their ties to the level of a strategic partnership and make the growth of their mutually beneficial relationship a priority in both countries' foreign policy.

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiyev believes that the signed documents will open up new opportunities for cooperation in various fields.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, Chinese-Kyrgyz ties have seen rapid, healthy and steady growth. The two countries maintain close and high-level contacts, enjoy political mutual confidence and have achieved fruitful results from expanded cooperation in the fields of energy, transportation, security and people-to-people exchanges.

China is currently Kyrgyzstan's second biggest trading partner. The trade turnover between the two countries reached $2.23 billion in the first half of this year.

Since 1991, China has invested $1.7 billion in the Kyrgyz economy.