ISTANBUL

Strategic dialogue with Kyrgyzstan will help strengthen cooperation and coordination, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said.

He made the remarks during the first strategic dialogue with his Kyrgyz counterpart Jeenbek Kulubaev in Bishkek on Wednesday, according to an official statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

“The establishment of the strategic dialogue mechanism is a concrete step … which will help further strengthen strategic mutual trust, enhance strategic coordination, and promote strategic cooperation,” Wang said.

“China fully supports” Kyrgyzstan's work as the rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The Central Asian nation will assume the rotating presidency of the 10-member bloc next year.

Wang also expressed a desire that Bishkek would join the Hong Kong-based International Court of Mediation “as soon as possible.”

The veteran Chinese diplomat also met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, with both sides pledging to strengthen cooperation in various fields.

Japarov emphasized that Kyrgyz-Chinese relations “are currently at a historic high,” according to a statement by Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry.

He emphasized “practical cooperation” between the two sides.

Since establishing diplomatic ties in 1992, China has become Kyrgyzstan's largest trading partner and an important source of investment, and the bilateral trade volume last year climbed to $22.71 billion.

The president highlighted the “dynamic strengthening” of multilateral cooperation, primarily within the SCO and the Central Asia-China format.

Wang told Japarov that China will “always be a trustworthy friend and reliable partner of Kyrgyzstan, and will, as always, support Kyrgyzstan in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

The Chinese foreign minister is on a three-nation tour of Central Asia, including Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.