From 2021 to 2025, Chinese foreign direct investment in Kyrgyzstan amounted to approximately $1.85 billion, Deputy Prime Minister Erlist Akunbekov announced at the Kyrgyz-Chinese Investment Forum in Bishkek on August 28. According to him, the two countries are gradually shifting from primarily trade cooperation to joint investment and production projects, Economist.kg reported.
The scale of China's investment presence in Kyrgyzstan is still significantly smaller than that of the largest economies in Central Asia. In Uzbekistan, Chinese investment has reached approximately $10.7 billion over the past five years, while in Kazakhstan, the accumulated volume of Chinese direct investment as of 2021 stood at $5.46 billion.
Akunbekov named the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway as one of the key projects for Kyrgyzstan. In addition to transport and logistics, the parties are considering cooperation in energy, industry, agriculture, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and the creation of data centers.
A comparison shows that Kyrgyzstan is currently receiving significantly less Chinese capital, but this creates room for further growth. It is important for the country to translate investments into long-term economic impact—through the creation of production facilities, technology transfer, training of specialists, and expanded exports.
The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway could play a special role, increasing Kyrgyzstan's transit appeal and simultaneously becoming the basis for the development of new logistics and industrial chains.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 28, 2026