Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Bishkek on Sunday for a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, placing China-Kyrgyzstan relations and regional cooperation at the center of several days of high-level diplomacy.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and First Lady Aigul Japarova welcomed Xi and Peng Liyuan at Manas International Airport. The ceremony included traditional Kyrgyz music, falconry, horsemen and other cultural displays. 

Xi said this was his third visit to Kyrgyzstan and his first state visit to the country in seven years. In the afternoon Xi and Japarov had an informal meeting in the Kyrgyzstan President's residence. 

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, economic cooperation and international and regional issues. Kyrgyz authorities say several interstate, intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents are expected to be signed during the visit.

Economic ties between the two countries have expanded rapidly. China has remained Kyrgyzstan's largest trading partner, with figures saying bilateral trade reached $27.2 billion in 2025, up 19.8% year-on-year. Trade reached $11.7 billion in the first seven months of 2026, while Chinese direct investment in Kyrgyzstan exceeded $2 billion by the end of July.

A central symbol of the partnership is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway now under construction. The long-discussed route will connect China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through Kyrgyzstan with Uzbekistan, potentially giving Central Asia another major transport corridor and strengthening Kyrgyzstan's role in regional transit.

25 years of the SCO 

This year the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation marks its 25th anniversary. Summit-related events begin on August 31, while the formal meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is scheduled for September 1 under Japarov's chairmanship. 

Besides the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, leaders expected in Bishkek include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. An SCO Plus meeting will bring additional leaders and representatives together.

The summit is expected to review the organisation's first quarter-century and address security, economic cooperation, connectivity and regional development. Final preparations for a package of summit documents have continued throughout August.

For Kyrgyzstan, hosting the gathering is also a major diplomatic showcase. Around 15,000 personnel from security, emergency, health and other services have been mobilized, while traffic and commercial restrictions are being introduced across Bishkek.

Xi has said he expects the summit to chart the SCO's future while his state visit opens a new stage in China's increasingly extensive partnership with Kyrgyzstan.