NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO KYRGYZSTAN STRESSES

C O N F I D E N T I A L BISHKEK 000322 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN (GORKOWSKI) E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/08/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KG SUBJECT: NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO KYRGYZSTAN STRESSES STABILITY Classified By: Classified by Ambassador Tatiana C. Gfoeller, for Reason s 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) In an April 8 courtesy call on the Ambassador, the new Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Wang Kaiwen, said that stability in its tiny neighbor was a priority for China. Kaiwen spoke of future plans to cooperate with the Kyrgyz to counter "radicalism, extremism, and separatism" and noted that the trafficking of narcotics from Afghanistan through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan must also be addressed. Kaiwen said he hoped the upcoming Presidential election in July would be peaceful with "no surprises." ¶2. (C) Kaiwen said that Beijing valued its economic ties with Kyrgyzstan (some $10 billion annual trade, he claimed), noting the importance of the trade route through its neighbor. He said there would never be a balance of trade between the two countries, because the "Kyrgyz do not have much to offer." However, he claimed that China hoped to increase the volume of products flowing through Kyrgyzstan to destinations beyond from the current three million tons to as much as ten million per year. Kaiwen noted that the Kyrgyz are eager to develop a rail line connecting western China to eastern Uzbekistan. Kaiwen added that President Bakiyev, Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev and Presidential Chief of Staff Daniyar Usenov had all stressed the importance of increasing economic and trade relations with China as a top priority to him personally. ¶3. (C) When Kaiwen enquired about Manas Airbase, the Ambassador noted that the United States had been given six months to vacate the Base, but was still open for discussions with the Kyrgyz. She also stated that the U.S. always had alternatives to Manas. She reminded Kaiwen that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had called for Washington to set a timeline for withdrawal from its bases in Central Asia. In response, Kaiwen dismissed the proclamation as merely a "political move." GFOELLER