Gao Xiang, president of CASS, meets with Kyrgyz State Secretary Arslan Koichiev in Beijing. Photo: Zhu Gaolei/CSSN
On Sept. 17, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), met with Arslan Koichiev, state secretary of Kyrgyzstan, in Beijing.
Gao noted that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China–Kyrgyzstan relations have entered the best period in their history. That momentum was further reinforced by President Xi Jinping’s recent state visit to Kyrgyzstan, during which the two leaders signed a joint declaration on the high-quality development of the comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era and a treaty on permanent good-neighborliness, friendship, and cooperation, opening up broader prospects for bilateral ties.
In January this year, CASS and Kyrgyz National University jointly established a book house dedicated to the works of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, providing the Kyrgyz side with an important window into Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as well as the history and theory of the CPC. Gao said that CASS will work with the Kyrgyz side to further develop the book house, continue providing it with General Secretary Xi Jinping’s latest works and related research findings, and build it into a platform for deeper exchanges between the academic communities of the two countries on governance experience.
Gao noted that the key to sound relations between states is amity between peoples, and this amity comes from empathy and understanding. This affinity is rooted in deep geographic and historical ties: China and Kyrgyzstan are close neighbors, connected by mountains and rivers and linked since antiquity by the Silk Road. He said that CASS stands ready to draw on its academic strengths to further deepen exchanges with the Kyrgyz side, conduct joint research in fields such as history and archaeology, and support reciprocal visits by young people from both countries, thereby laying a solid foundation for greater mutual understanding between the two peoples and the building of a China–Kyrgyzstan community with a shared future.
Koichiev said that President Xi Jinping’s historic state visit to Kyrgyzstan is of great and far-reaching significance for the future development of Kyrgyzstan–China relations, while the remarkable achievements of Chinese modernization will bring new opportunities to the world. He described the establishment of the book house dedicated to the works of General Secretary Xi Jinping as an important outcome of deepening mutual learning and exchanges between the two countries. The Kyrgyz side, Koichiev added, stands ready to further deepen cooperation with CASS, strengthen exchanges in areas including history, culture, and youth engagement, and work together to elevate bilateral relations to new heights.
Heads of relevant CASS departments also attended the meeting.