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Kyrgyzstan issues 61,000 work visas to Chinese citizens in 2026
Chinese companies are registered in Kyrgyzstan at nearly 7,000 over the past three years, and the Export-Import Bank of China holds about $1.6 billion of the country's external public debt.
OilPrice reports that Kyrgyzstan issued about 61,000 work visas in the first half of 2026, with around 60 percent going to Chinese citizens, according to the Foreign Ministry's Consular Department.
The outlet says the visa wave reflects a broader expansion of Chinese economic activity in the country, with nearly 7,000 Chinese companies, associations, and other organizations registered in Kyrgyzstan over the past three years.
OilPrice adds that Chinese firms are involved in major infrastructure, mining, and energy projects, including arrangements that involve leases of state land for up to 49 years.
The report also notes China is Kyrgyzstan's largest bilateral creditor, with the Export-Import Bank of China holding about $1.6 billion, or 28 percent, of Kyrgyzstan's $8.9 billion external public debt, as public discontent grows over jobs, land, resources, and sovereignty.