People dressed in traditional Kyrgyz clothes attend the commencement ceremony at the construction site of the Datka substation in the Bazar-Korgon district of the Jalal-Abad region in Kyrgyzstan, July 28, 2011. With a capacity of 500 kilovolts, the substation is financed by preferential export buyer's credit extended by China. The total amount of the agreement is $208 million. This project was designed to address the power supply imbalance and the transmission bottleneck in southern Kyrgyzstan. (Xinhua/Sadat)
The Belt and Road Initiative offers win-win opportunities for Central Asian countries and promotes regional cooperation, Kyrgyz experts have said.
Kyrgyzstan was one of the first countries that supported the Belt and Road Initiative, and people here have already seen benefits brought about by the cooperation between China and their country, said Nurlan Aitmurzaev, rector of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Over the past two years, a series of important projects featuring boosting interconnectivity under the framework of the initiative have been completed in Kyrgyzstan, such as the Bishkek roads repair construction by China Road and Bridge Corporation, and the "Datka-Kemin" 500kV transmission line project built by Chinese company TBEA, which provides Kyrgyz people with more convenience and helped the country gain energy independence.
Aitmurzaev told Xinhua that these infrastructural projects will not only help with domestic economic development and raise people's living standards, but also offer ideal conditions for countries in the region to connect with each other.
Sergey Ponomarev, president of the Kyrgyz Markets Association, said the Belt and Road Initiative will benefit regional countries in both economic and geographical aspects.
Ponomarev explained that the initiative involves a sea route that can be very important for countries without access to the sea, such as Kyrgyzstan.
"It is a plan with huge potential. We all know that places with trade routes are always rich, not only financially, but also spiritually," Ponomarev said. "That is why the Kyrgyz business community has always been open to this initiative and is ready to cooperate based on common interest. It is necessary to trade with neighbors."
Countries in the Eurasian region also have their own regional and national development strategies, such as the integration plan of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Kazakhstan 2050 strategy, and the national sustainable development strategy 2013-2017 of Kyrgyzstan.
Experts believe the effective integration of the Belt and Road Initiative and the strategies of regional countries can help integrate regional development platforms and promote regional cooperation.
"When we take into account the national strategies of other countries in the region, the Belt and Road Initiative can help them gain concrete progress," Aitmurzaev said.
"China's neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness makes countries in the region accept the initiative and could promote cooperation and joint development among the countries," said the rector.
