China–Kyrgyzstan Relations
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China–Kyrgyzstan relations are the
bilateral relationship Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...
between China and
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...
.


Historical relations

As of 1996, relations between Kyrgyzstan and China were an area of substantial uncertainty for the government in
Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...
. The free-trade zone in Naryn attracted large numbers of Chinese businesspeople, who came to dominate most of the republic's import and export of small goods. Most of this trade is in
barter In trade, barter (derived from ''bareter'') is a system of exchange (economics), exchange in which participants in a financial transaction, transaction directly exchange good (economics), goods or service (economics), services for other goods ...
conducted by ethnic Kyrgyz or
Kazakhs The Kazakhs (Kazakh language, Kazakh: , , , ) are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia and Eastern Europe. They share a common Culture of Kazakhstan, culture, Kazakh language, language and History of Kazakhstan, history ...
who are Chinese citizens. The Kyrgyz government had expressed alarm over the numbers of Chinese who were moving into Naryn and other parts of Kyrgyzstan, but no preventive measures had been taken as of 1996.Martha Brill Olcott. "Central Asian Neighbors"
''Kyrgyzstan: a country study''
(Glenn E. Curtis, editor).
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
Federal Research Division The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress. The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...
(March 1996). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.''
Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov has a favorable view of China. Japarov states that relations between the two countries are the strongest they have ever been.


Cultural relations


Educational

Kyrgyzstan has four Confucius Institutes.


Migration

200px, The Chinese border crossing at the Torugart Pass on the road between
Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...
(
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...
) and Kashgar (Xinjiang) There is some anti-Uyghurs, Uyghur sentiment in Kyrgyzstan. Daniar Usenov, who became the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan in 2009, received accolades from multiple Kyrgyzstan newspapers by articulating the fear in 1999 that Kyrgyzstan would become "Uygurstan" through an alleged Chinese plot of
miscegenation Miscegenation ( ) is marriage or admixture between people who are members of different races or ethnicities. It has occurred many times throughout history, in many places. It has occasionally been controversial or illegal. Adjectives describin ...
.


Economic relations


Trade

Since the 1990s, trade with China grew enormously. Particularly important is the re-export of Chinese consumer goods to the neighboring
Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
(mostly via Karasuu Bazar at
Kara-Suu Kara-Suu () is a town in Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan, in the Fergana Valley. The town is 23 km northeast of Osh and is the capital of Kara-Suu District. Its population was 26,609 in 2021. It is a major industrial and trade center, on the border ...
, Osh Province) and to
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
and
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
(mostly via
Dordoy Bazaar Dordoy Bazaar (; ) is a large wholesale and retail market in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The largest bazaar in Kyrgyzstan, it is one of Asia's greatest public marketplaces, comparable to Bangkok's Chatuchak Weekend Market or Tehran's Grand Bazaar.
in
Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...
). Due to its
linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
and cultural affinity with the Chinese (particularly, Hui) people, Kyrgyzstan's small Dungan community plays a significant role in the trade. In some political quarters, the prospect of Chinese domination stimulated nostalgia for the days of Moscow's control. As of 2019, China is one of the main trade and economic partners of Kyrgyzstan. In 2022, China accounted for 37% of Kyrgyzstan's total trade, far eclipsing other countries. China is also the main bilateral creditor of Kyrgyzstan. Their economic relationship is highly asymmetrical as " ile for China the bilateral projects in Kyrgyzstan are small, they are significant for Kyrgyzstan". Kyrgyzstan is active in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), viewing the BRI as an opportunity to increase inbound
foreign direct investment A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an ownership stake in a company, made by a foreign investor, company, or government from another country. More specifically, it describes a controlling ownership an asset in one country by an entity based i ...
, modernize its transportation infrastructure, and build better connections with Europe and China. It is also involved in China's Digital Silk Road Initiative,  through which carefully, but step by step strengthens its high-tech cooperation with China.


Environmental cooperation

In April 2025, a significant environmental initiative was launched between Kyrgyzstan and China with the establishment of a large-scale tree nursery in
Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...
, aimed at improving the ecological conditions of the city. Chinese partners from
Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...
are collaborating with the Bishkek municipality on this project, which is part of a broader effort to restore the city’s greenery. The nursery, initially covering five hectares, has already seen the planting of over 12,300 tree saplings and 9,000 shrubs, with plans for it to eventually span 100 hectares. The cultivation focuses on
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
tree species, including
Norway maple ''Acer platanoides'', commonly known as the Norway maple, is a species of maple native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia, from Spain east to Russia, north to southern Scandinavia and southeast to northern Iran. It was introduced to ...
, Chinese acacia, and linden, to improve urban air quality and restore the city’s lost tree cover, particularly after decades of rapid urbanization. This initiative is in line with Kyrgyzstan’s national “Jashyl Muras” (Green Heritage) campaign, launched in March 2022 by President Sadyr Japarov, which aims to plant 5-6 million saplings annually across the country. In 2024, over 8.1 million saplings were planted nationwide as part of this program. The tree nursery will play a critical role in reversing deforestation and promoting environmental restoration efforts in Bishkek.


Political relations


Territorial claims

China had historically claimed large tracts of Kyrgyzstan's territory, encompassing almost the whole of the country. According to Chinese historians, in the second half of the 19th century, China's
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
was forced to enter into a number of
unequal treaties The unequal treaties were a series of agreements made between Asian countries—most notably Qing China, Tokugawa Japan and Joseon Korea—and Western countries—most notably the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, the Unit ...
in which Kyrgyz lands, particularly the North Kyrgyz lands, were ceded to the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
in 1863. After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
, Kyrgyzstan and the two other Central Asian republics bordering the People's Republic of China inherited the border disputes that the USSR and PRC had themselves inherited from the Russian and Qing Empires. In 1996, the two countries signed their first border treaty. It was ratified in 1998. That first treaty demarcated approximately 900 km of the countries' 1,011 km of shared border. A second border agreement was signed in 1999 by Chinese president
Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...
and Kyrgyzstan's president Askar Akaev. In that agreement, China received 90,000 hectares in the Uzengi-Kuush region in exchange for Kyrgyzstan receiving two-thirds of
Khan Tengri Khan Tengri is a mountain of the Tian Shan mountain range in Central Asia. It is on the China—Kyrgyzstan—Kazakhstan tripoint, east of lake Issyk-Kul, Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan. Its geologic elevation is , but its glacial icecap rises to ...
peak and Victory Peak.


Military relations


Security and military cooperation

The security situation in Kyrgyzstan has been of great concern to China, not only because of the issue over the
Uyghurs The Uyghurs,. alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central Asia and East Asia. The Uyghurs are recognized as the ti ...
, but also due to problems with narcotic trafficking.China, US, Russia eye Bishkek
/ref> During the 2005
Tulip Revolution The Tulip Revolution, also known as the First Kyrgyz Revolution, led to Kyrgyzstan's then-President of Kyrgyzstan, President Askar Akayev's fall from power. The revolution began after Kyrgyz parliamentary elections, 2005, parliamentary elections ...
China considered developments in Kyrgyzstan so important that they raised the possibility of deploying combat forces. Kyrgyzstan and China have concluded joint
military exercise A military exercise, training exercise, maneuver (manoeuvre), or war game is the employment of military resources in Military education and training, training for military operations. Military exercises are conducted to explore the effects of ...
s several times. Kyrgyzstan has participated in the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian politics, political, economy, economic, international security and Defence (military), defence organization of ten member states. It was established in 2001 by the China, People's Republic ...
's series of joint military exercises (titled "Peace Mission") several times, alongside Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. Kyrgyzstan participated in the 2010, 2012, and 2014 exercises. Kyrgyzstan has also participated in the SCO's "anti-terrorist exercises" with China and other SCO countries, doing so first in 2002 and subsequently in 2003, 2006, and 2010. Kyrgyz authorities have taken hard measures against alleged Uyghur separatists. Kyrgyzstan President
Sadyr Japarov Sadyr Nurgojo uulu Japarov (born 6 December 1968) is a Kyrgyzstani politician, diplomat, and oligarch who has been serving as the sixth president of Kyrgyzstan since 28 January 2021. He previously served as the 22nd prime minister in the 2020 ...
states that China and Kyrgyzstan will oppose
East Turkestan East Turkestan or East Turkistan (, : , : ), is a loosely-defined geographical region in the northwestern part of the People's Republic of China, on the cross roads of East and Central Asia. The term was coined in the 19th century by Russi ...
terrorist forces including through repatriating suspects. Kyrgyzstan adheres to the one China principle and supports China's claim of sovereignty over
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
.


Humanitarian relations

In 2025, China intensified its humanitarian engagement with Kyrgyzstan through a shift in foreign aid strategy, marking a new phase of its
Belt and Road Initiative The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI or B&R), known in China as the One Belt One Road and sometimes referred to as the New Silk Road, is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the government of China in 2013 to invest in more t ...
(BRI). On 16 May, the
China International Development Cooperation Agency The China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), branded as China Aid, is the foreign aid and international development agency of China. It is a deputy ministerial-level agency affiliated with the State Council of China, State C ...
(CIDCA), in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme, launched its first multilateral initiative in
Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
; providing school meals to over 100,000 children in southern Kyrgyzstan. This project, supported by the Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, will distribute 1,700 metric tons of fortified food to 300 schools across Osh,
Jalal-Abad Jalal-Abad (; ) is the administrative and economic centre of Jalal-Abad Region in southwestern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its resident population was 123,239 in 2021. It is situated at the north-eastern end of the Fergana valley along the Kög ...
, and
Batken Batken (also called Batkent) is a town in southwestern Kyrgyzstan, on the southern fringe of the Fergana Valley. It is the administrative seat of Batken Region. Since 2000, it is a city of regional significance, i.e. not part of a district. Howeve ...
provinces by year’s end. Dubbed “Small and Beautiful” (S&B), the initiative reflects a broader Chinese strategy to prioritize smaller, community-based development efforts over large-scale infrastructure, particularly in the wake of the United States’ withdrawal of USAID operations from the region. A CIDCA report identified these S&B efforts as a second phase of BRI, emphasizing China’s intent to scale them up and integrate them with ongoing infrastructure projects to address livelihood challenges and strengthen development foundations in Central Asia.


See also

* China–Kyrgyzstan border *
Foreign relations of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), has full diplomatic relations with 180 out of the other 192 United Nations member states, Cook Islands, Niue and the State of Palestine. , China has had the most diplomatic missions of ...
* Foreign relations of Kyrgyzstan


Further reading

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:China - Kyrgyzstan Relations
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...
Bilateral relations of Kyrgyzstan