China, Kyrgyzstan pledge stronger strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) holds a welcoming ceremony for visiting Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev before their talks in Shanghai, east China, May 18, 2014.[Xinhua]

China and Kyrgyzstan issued a joint declaration in Shanghai on Sunday, vowing to facilitate stronger strategic partnership.

The declaration was released as Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev is paying a state visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday as guest of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Atambaev will also attend the the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) to be held in Shanghai on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Both countries promised not to join any alliance or group that harms each other's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, nor sign any agreement of such kind with the third country, according to the declaration.

The two countries affirmed their principles of equality, mutual benefits and no use of force in international affairs, and their opposition to hegemonism and expansion policies in any form, it said.

Kyrgyzstan reiterated that the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government of China, and Taiwan is an indispensable part of the country, said the declaration.

The Kyrgyz government firmly supports the one-China policy, and opposes the so-called "Taiwan Independence" in any form, it said.

Kyrgyzstan backs the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and China's efforts to realize national unification, according to the declaration.

China vows to support the development path that the Kyrgyz people chose for their country as well as the Kyrgyz government's efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Regarding economic cooperation, both countries vowed in the declaration to expand cooperation in such areas of electric power, oil gas, hydropower and renewable energy, and facilitate bilateral energy projects such as the construction of China-Kyrgyzstan natural gas pipeline.

The two countries will build a mechanism to ensure the long-term stable operation of their natural gas pipeline project, according to the declaration.

Both sides plan to hold consultation on the feasibility of building interconnectivity channel connecting China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan.

The two countries expressed their commitments to jointly combating the "three evil forces" of separatism, extremism and terrorism, including the "Eastern Turkistan" terrorist forces, and cementing cooperation in this regard within multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Futhermore, China and Kyrgyzstan pledged in the declaration to promote cooperation in such areas as culture, education, public health, technology, sports, tourism and environmental protection.

China will offer 1,500 government scholarships to Kyrgyzstan in the next five years, according to the declaration.

"The two sides believe that the SCO has become an important platform, with a broad perspective of development, to safeguard regional peace and stability as well as to promote the common development of its member states," said the joint declaration.

The two countries support the SCO's increasing role in regional affairs, according to the declaration, adding both agreed that it is in the common interests of the two nations as well as SCO member states to safeguard peace, stability, development and prosperity in central Asia.

The declaration said both countries are firmly opposed to external forces' interference in regional affairs and harm to peace and stability in central Asia.

China and Kyrgyzstan stand ready to make joint efforts to safeguard peace, security and stability in central Asia to benefit the two peoples and the region at large, it said.