Kyrgyzstan Signs 3 SCO Cooperation Deals With China, Belarus as Trade With Bloc Jumps 2.2-Fold
Updated
Updated · AnewZ · May 29
Kyrgyzstan Signs 3 SCO Cooperation Deals With China, Belarus as Trade With Bloc Jumps 2.2-Fold
2 articles · Updated · AnewZ · May 29
Kyrgyzstan signed three cooperation agreements with China and Belarus at the Fifth Forum of Regional Leaders of SCO member states, including a Bishkek-Zhengzhou sister-city pact and two free economic zone deals with Belarus's Brest.
Akunbekov said the push reflects Kyrgyzstan's deeper SCO integration, with trade turnover with SCO partners rising 2.2-fold over the past four years.
Infrastructure was central to the forum pitch: Kyrgyz officials highlighted the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, the new Bedel border crossing, the Barskoon-Bedel highway and large energy projects.
The government says those projects and the new agreements should improve transport links, attract investment and bolster Kyrgyzstan's bid to become a regional trade and transit hub within the SCO.
As new railways promise billions, can Bishkek plug its talent drain before its economic ambitions are derailed?
Is Kyrgyzstan's new railway the bridge to prosperity or a path to dependency on China?
Kyrgyzstan’s 2025–2026 SCO Agenda: Infrastructure, Trade, and the Challenge of Inclusive Growth
Overview
Kyrgyzstan has recently strengthened its economic and cultural ties with China and Belarus through a series of agreements and forums, highlighted by the V Forum of SCO Heads of Regions in May 2026. At this event, regions, cities, and free economic zones from SCO member states exchanged signed bilateral documents, demonstrating the SCO's role as a key platform for Eurasian cooperation. Leaders emphasized the importance of regional partnerships for developing trade, implementing projects, and building stronger connections. While these initiatives deepen economic linkages, the SCO currently stops short of establishing formal free trade agreements, focusing instead on practical collaboration.