Central Asian ethnic and religious issues

Author: Xu Xiaoyun (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features:
Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to China's Preface to Respected Chinese Friends: Kyrgyzstan has withstood historic challenges and overcome various temporary difficulties, now standing at a crucial stage of national development. The reforms initiated by the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Askar Akayev, have been underway for 12 years. Through persistent and goal-oriented efforts, the country has achieved remarkable accomplishments and progress in forming a democratic society and establishing a market economy. Kyrgyzstan believes that it is of great significance to develop and strengthen ties with foreign countries. In this regard, I am particularly proud and very satisfied to point out that the China-Kyrgyzstan relationship is a model of intercountry cooperation. The traditional friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the two countries have a long history. Historians trace the relations between the two countries back to the 3rd century BC. At that time, the great scholar Sima Qian first mentioned the ethnic name "Kyrgyz" in his famous work, "Records of the Grand Historian." Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kyrgyz Republic and the People's Republic of China in the new era, bilateral cooperation has entered a high stage of development. Based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect, all the issues left over from history have been thoroughly resolved. In this regard, the "Treaty of Neighboringly Friendly Cooperation" signed during the visit of President A. A. Akayev of the Kyrgyz Republic to China in June 2002, according to the mutual wishes of both sides, has set forth new requirements for cooperation between the two countries and has broadly outlined the prospects for their joint development in the 21st century that has already begun. I believe that this book will provide Chinese readers with very sufficient and comprehensive information about Kyrgyzstan, enabling them to better understand and learn about the country's system of governance as well as its domestic and foreign policies. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the scholars of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for their unremitting efforts in publishing this book. With best wishes.
Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to China Elran Abderdyyev
Kyrgyzstan is our western neighbor and borders the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country with numerous rivers and lakes, abundant natural resources, and hydropower as an important export resource. Kyrgyzstan shares a common border with China of over 1,100 kilometers. More than 2,000 years ago, the world-famous "Silk Road" closely linked the peoples of our two countries. In the past decade or so, exchanges between the two countries have become even more frequent, and cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results.