BISHKEK, July 19 (Xinhua) -- "I would give the highest mark for the great achievements of the Communist Party (of China) in building and reforming China," President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov has said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

Thanks to the wise leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), "the People’s Republic of China has made great strides and has become a powerful modern state," he said, stressing China’s important role in the international arena.

The Kyrgyz leader said that the CPC has always defended the fundamental interests of the Chinese people.

"One of the main reasons for the victory of the Chinese Communist Party in the revolution and the successful construction of socialism is that the party enjoys the sincere support and love of the entire people," he added.

Zhaparov noted China’s achievements in poverty alleviation.

"Thus, 770 million people in China have (been) lifted out of poverty since the late 1970s," he said, adding that China has become a major contributor to global poverty reduction.

The Kyrgyz president believed that China has achieved such great results thanks to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s unprecedented determination and political wisdom.

"He is pursuing deep reforms with extensive experience in domestic and international relations. I would say that he sets an example of leadership in planning the country’s future and mobilizing the strength of the Chinese people," Zhaparov said.

Speaking about bilateral relations, Zhaparov highlighted that China is an eternal neighbor and friend for Kyrgyzstan.

"The border between the two countries will always be the border of friendly cooperation," he said.

"We are proud of our friendly, good-neighborly and comprehensive strategic cooperation with China, and highly value such cooperation," the president added.

"In addition, the positions of the two countries are similar on most international and regional issues," he said, expressing Kyrgyzstan’s interest in the further development of comprehensive cooperation with China based on openness and mutual trust, which is in the interests of both peoples.

Kyrgyzstan is one of the first countries to support and take an active part in the Belt and Road Initiative.

"We see this initiative as a serious source and incentive for the implementation of joint projects, as well as the development of infrastructure," he said.

"Today, the most important and promising areas of bilateral trade and economic, investment cooperation are infrastructure and transport, tourism, energy, processing industry, agriculture and mining," he added. 

Zhaparov highlighted that Kyrgyzstan is actively working to improve the investment climate in the country.

"Creation of a favorable business environment, as well as protection of the rights of foreign investors is one of the priorities of Kyrgyzstan," the president said, adding "the doors to our country are always open for reliable Chinese investors."

On cultural cooperation, Zhaparov said it is one of the most important areas of Kyrgyzstan-China relations and the close cooperation in the cultural and educational spheres gives a great impetus to promote the common interests of both sides.

Noting Kyrgyz younger generation’s growing interest in China, Zhaparov said, "In particular, there are four Confucius Institutes in Kyrgyzstan, and some universities also open Chinese departments. At the same time, more than 4,000 Kyrgyz students are studying in Chinese universities."

In the aspect of cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhaparov said China took the lead in effectively controlling the pandemic.

"We witnessed that China is helping not only Kyrgyzstan, but also other countries of the world in the fight against COVID-19," he said.

The president also spoke highly of the achievements of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the past 20 years.

"Today the SCO has become a practical and important instrument for regional cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres" and "an important factor in ensuring the security and sustainable development of interstate relations," he said.

Zhaparov said that Kyrgyzstan and China closely cooperate both on a bilateral level and within multilateral frameworks under the SCO.

"The high level of mutual trust and active dialogue between our countries also positively affects the development of multilateral cooperation within the SCO," Zhaparov said.