Bishkek, Sept. 23, 2026 /Kabar/. Erlist Akunbekov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, held meetings with the heads of leading Chinese oil and gas corporations—CNPC and Sinopec—during his working visit to the PRC, the Cabinet of Ministers reported. During the visit, negotiations were held with Dai Houliang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), and Hou Qijun, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec).
The parties discussed the development of joint projects, including the construction of an oil refinery in Kyrgyzstan, the exploration and development of oil fields, and the construction of a pipeline to transport petroleum products across the border between the two countries.
Erlist Akunbekov noted that one of the objectives of his working visit to Beijing was to meet with companies operating in the oil sector, in accordance with President Sadyr Zhaparov’s directive to ensure stable and uninterrupted supplies of petroleum products to the country. Given the current situation in the Central Asian oil market, the importance of further deepening cooperation in this sector was emphasized.
Companies operating in Kyrgyzstan are currently concluding agreements with the Chinese corporations CNPC and Sinopec, thereby ensuring regular supplies of petroleum products to Kyrgyzstan. Representatives of domestic companies were included in the Kyrgyz delegation to facilitate the conclusion of new agreements between the Chinese corporations and Kyrgyz firms.
Furthermore, to reduce logistics costs, the possibility of constructing oil storage facilities (oil depots) near the Torugart and Irkeshtam border checkpoints on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border is being considered.
At the conclusion of the meetings, the parties expressed confidence that close cooperation and joint efforts would lead to positive results.
