Chinese representatives presents their Kyrgyz counterparts with the Russian edition of the fifth volume and the Kyrgyz edition of the third volume of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, along with major academic works by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences commemorating the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Photo: PROVIDED TO CSST

On Aug. 30, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov to attend the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit and pay a state visit to the country. President Xi’s visit has further galvanized discussion among Kyrgyz scholars on his governance philosophy.

On Jan. 28, 2026, a book house dedicated to the works of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, was officially inaugurated in Kyrgyzstan. Jointly established by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Kyrgyz National University (KNU), the book house has since attracted widespread attention in Kyrgyzstan and across Central Asia.

During interviews with CSST, several Kyrgyz scholars discussed the book house as a new starting point and platform for deeper exchanges between China and Kyrgyzstan on governance experience, while also reflecting on the central ideas of President Xi’s works.

Gathering important intellectual achievements and fine cultural works

Across the interviews, a common view emerged: The book house is more than a venue for reading classics and exploring outstanding works; it also serves as an important cultural bridge between China and Kyrgyzstan.

Kubatbek Rakhimov, executive officer of Applicata – Centre for Strategic Solutions in Kyrgyzstan, said President Xi’s works have been warmly received among Kyrgyz scholars. “The response I have encountered is less one of admiration than of resonance and recognition,” he told CSST, adding that it reflects practical concerns rather than mere diplomatic courtesy.

Sheradil Baktygulov, director of the Institute of World Politics of Kyrgyzstan, said the opening of the book house gives the public access to first-hand materials on China’s development and offers a window into the country’s path to modernization, helping international readers form a more objective and open-minded understanding of China. “By showcasing President Xi’s thoughts and ideas, the book house is functioning as a key cultural hub between China and Kyrgyzstan, while the inclusion of international works can foster cross-cultural understanding of China.”

“Many works displayed in the book house have been translated into multiple languages, and their Russian-language versions are most popular across the Commonwealth of Independent States, including Kyrgyzstan,” observed Ismaeva Rakhima, deputy director of the Graduate School at KNU. She attributed their popularity to the insight they offer readers around the world into China’s approach to governance, development, and international cooperation. The works, she added, reflect China’s emphasis on high-quality development, improving people’s wellbeing, scientific and technological innovation, and stronger international cooperation.

Combining high-level vision and low-level administrative details

Many international scholars have noted that President Xi’s works—reports, speeches, talks, addresses, articles, instructions, and other important documents—are written in accessible language, helping readers around the world gain a deeper understanding of China’s development path, governance, and underlying theories.

Rakhimov singled out Up and Out of Poverty as essential reading among President Xi’s works. “If I had to single out one thread running through this very different book, it’s an essay from Xi’s Ningde years titled ‘How Can a Weak Hatchling Bird Be the First to Fly.’”

For Rakhimov, the idea of “a weak bird flying first” captures both dialectical thinking and a spirit of perseverance: Temporary economic backwardness, he noted, need not be permanent. Even under unfavorable conditions, a change in mindset and a willingness to act early can create a latecomer advantage.

In many political books, readers are offered ideological preaching rather than practical methods. President Xi’s works, by contrast, document in detail and with objectivity how major decisions in China were made and subsequently adjusted and refined through practice, combining a broad vision of top-level planning with the concrete details of governance, Rakhimov added.

Drawing on her own reading of the Xi Jinping: The Governance of China series, Rakhima said the volumes have become essential reading for many political figures. She was particularly struck by the fifth volume and its emphasis on the principle that development must bring tangible results to the people.

“It is precisely this people-centered approach that prompts deeper reflection on the role of the state in the modern world. More than 800 million were lifted out of poverty since the reform and opening up era began,” Rakhima noted. “China has achieved the poverty reduction target of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, contributing over 70% to global poverty reduction.”

“Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish,” Rakhimov remarked. “President Xi quoted this classic saying to explain the art of governance, emphasizing that great things must be done with meticulous care.”

Governing a major country of more than 1.4 billion people is no easy task, yet China has addressed this governance challenge through practice. “What stands out to me is less the scale itself than the sequencing: The anti-corruption campaign came before, not after, the deeper economic restructuring; the final push to eliminate extreme rural poverty was treated as an administrative deadline with a hard date, not an aspiration,” Rakhimov said.

Philosophy of Chinese modernization holds special value for Kyrgyzstan

Whole-process people’s democracy, developing new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, advancing the building of a Beautiful China, building a community with a shared future for humanity, the four major Global Initiatives—the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and Global Governance Initiative—and the Belt and Road Initiative are among the distinctive concepts and original theories set out in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s works. These ideas have found expression in China’s modernization drive while also offering valuable insights for countries such as Kyrgyzstan as they explore modernization paths of their own.

“Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country, sandwiched between larger neighbors, and lives under external pressure,” Rakhimov explained. “China’s path of modernization has convinced us that the answer lies in drawing on the wisdom from Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. Understanding modernization as a dynamic process, with its detours and corrections, is more useful to a country like ours than understanding it only as an outcome.”

“Readers from Kyrgyzstan are used to being offered Western development models from outside and have learned to ask what is actually transferable to a mountainous, resource-different, much smaller economy,” he added. In light of these considerations, the philosophy of Chinese modernization holds particular value for Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries.

“‘Chinese modernization’ is a keyword in President Xi’s works,” Baktygulov said. As a small landlocked economy, Kyrgyzstan is seeking a path to modernization suited to its own conditions. In a world marked by overlapping challenges and crises, China’s experience of advancing modernization through gradual reform offers valuable lessons for Kyrgyzstan.

“For a government running a country of Kyrgyzstan’s size, the more instructive lesson isn’t the scale of what was achieved but the strategic patience in governance,” Baktygulov added.

“A substantial portion of the book is devoted to international relations. This section comprises several chapters on peaceful development, the building of a new type of major-country relations, the cultivation of diplomatic ties with neighboring states, and the strengthening of links with developing countries. This, on the one hand, testifies to the growing weight of China on the international stage, and on the other, to the extension of Chinese interests and influence across various regions of the globe,” Baktygulov said.

Rakhimov said his greatest takeaway from reading the Xi Jinping: The Governance of China series was the importance of setting clear priorities in the implementation of national policy. “Kyrgyzstan has something concrete to learn from how China sequenced its own reforms: which battles to fight first, which to defer, how to preserve social stability while restructuring an economy. What resonates most is not the scale of China’s achievement but the discipline behind it.”

“The long-term vision and practice in Xi Jinping’s works demonstrate the importance of consistent government policy and investment in education, infrastructure, innovation, and human capital,” Rakhima said. “Every country has its own path to development, but certain elements of China’s experience can be useful to other nations as well. The very fact that President Xi’s initiatives are being adopted and successfully implemented not only in China but also across the globe demonstrates their broad relevance and appeal.”

Important guidance for harmonious coexistence of diverse civilizations

Civilizational diversity is a defining feature of the world. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era embodies the essence of fine traditional Chinese culture while also reflecting deeply on humanity’s future. On March 15, 2023, at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting held in Beijing, President Xi Jinping proposed the GCI, which has since won wide acclaim across the international community.

In Rakhima’s view, President Xi has carefully considered how different civilizations can coexist and has distilled those reflections into a series of new ideas and initiatives promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. She said the GCI is of great significance in contemporary international relations. “It is based on respect for cultural diversity, mutual learning, and dialogue among civilizations. These ideas are indeed closely linked to traditional Chinese culture, particularly Confucianism, in which harmony, mutual respect, and the pursuit of peace hold a special place.”

“The governance philosophy in President Xi’s major works is rooted in fine traditional Chinese culture, and the two are intrinsically connected,” Rakhimov explained. In his view, different systems of governance grow out of different cultural traditions. A system structured around five-year planning cycles and informed by more than 5,000 years of civilizational experience will naturally produce a different pattern of decision-making from one shaped by two- or four-year electoral cycles.

Baktygulov noted that although China and Kyrgyzstan have followed distinct paths to modernization, both are firmly anchored in rich, ancient civilizational traditions. Their bilateral relationship also rests on deep historical foundations, among which the ancient Silk Road stands out as one of the most important links, having connected the two countries for centuries. “Today, this historical connection serves as the bedrock for a modern ‘community with a shared future,’ a concept that emphasizes a partnership based on mutual respect, sovereign equality, and win-win cooperation.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the SCO. With Kyrgyzstan holding the rotating SCO presidency, President Xi’s visit signals a new beginning. The visit has injected fresh momentum into bilateral cooperation in the economy, education, science and technology, and culture, while also strengthening coordination between the two sides under the SCO framework. Looking to the future, Rakhima expressed confidence in the two countries’ continued cooperation.