Kyrgyz President Signs Chinese Pipeline Deal Into Law

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has signed into law a Kyrgyz-Chinese agreement on construction of a natural-gas pipeline in Kyrgyzstan.

The pipeline is expected to connect Turkmenistan's gas fields with markets in China.

The Kyrgyz presidential press service announced on December 31 that the agreement had been ratified by parliament.

The deal was initially signed during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Bishkek on September 11.

The documents signed by the two leaders also included agreements on the delivery of Chinese cars and trucks, cooperation in health care, the reconstruction of a heating plant in Bishkek, the construction of a new highway connecting Kyrgyzstan's north and south, as well as a $10 million loan to Kyrgyzstan.

The amount of Chinese investment outlined in the documents totaled $3 billion.

Based on reporting by AKI-Press and Interfax