The Chinese foreign policy priorities in Kyrgyzstan — страница 4

Chinese leadership succeeded in persuading the President Kurmanbek Bakiev and enlisted his support. In the joint Declaration, Kyrgyzstan and China stated that they "will not allow the third parties to use its territory at the expense of national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the other side, and will not allow the establishment on its territory and the activities of the organizations and associations, posing a threat to the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the other side." In general, the visit of the Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev in China was largely political in nature and, as acknowledged by both sides, was aimed primarily at the conclusion of the pause in bilateral relations after the events of March 24, 2005. Despite the

lack of breakthrough solutions in the economic field (to expect a breakthrough would have been unrealistic), it must be recognized that the aim - the establishment of working contacts with top political leaders of China and restoration of political trust between the two countries - was, in principle, reached. This could be considered the most important outcome of the visit of Kurmanbek Bakiev. Thus, since the second half of 2006, as a result of the visit of the Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev to China, the bilateral cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China has been gradually restored. Kurmanbek Bakiev clearly stated once again that the Kyrgyz side had no intention of reviewing and would strictly adhere to all the previously achieved agreements and treaties. The President of the

Kyrgyz Republic mainly expressed his interest in the development of trade and economic cooperation with China and implementation of joint projects in areas such as: hydropower; transportation and infrastructure; telecommunications; exploration and development of mineral, oil and gas deposits; development of light and food industries; agriculture; and tourism. In contrast to the words of the President Kurmanbek Bakiev, the President of China Hu Jintao, formally agreeing with the proposals of his Kyrgyz colleague however, highlighted the cooperation in the sphere of security as a priority in bilateral Kyrgyz-Chinese relations. The head of China stressed that his country fully supports Kyrgyzstan in its efforts to combat the "three evils" - terrorism, separatism and

extremism - as well as in its desire to contribute to regional security. As the projects, prioritized by Kyrgyzstan - the construction of the railway China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan and export of electricity from Kyrgyzstan to China - the parties again were unable to reach a common decision and once again sent the projects for further study by Governmental experts from both countries. In 2008 the Kyrgyz-Chinese relations continued to develop gradually. In conclusion, it should be noted that after a brief pause in bilateral relations, which was caused by the rapid and unexpected change of power in Kyrgyzstan after the events of 24 March 2005, the cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China has been gradually restored and returned to a familiar format. According to the estimates of higher

officials, today, the bilateral relations between China and Kyrgyzstan are friendly, and there are no serious political problems that could hinder their further development.