The Kyrgyz Republic, a Central Asian state that gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, adopted a parliamentary system after revolutions in 2005 and 2010, but has concentrated power in the presidency since 2021 under Sadyr Japarov, whose government Freedom House says has used courts and extralegal pressure against critics. Relations with China were elevated to a “comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era” in 2025. Media cooperation has been formalized through direct state-agency ties: during a June 2025 summit in Astana, Kyrgyzstan’s Kabar state news agency and China’s Xinhua signed cooperation agreements, alongside publishing-house partnerships. A Media Cooperation Forum followed in Bishkek in 2026, at which Kyrgyz officials and Chinese state-media representatives called for coordinated messaging ahead of an SCO summit. Kyrgyzstan became a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization in July 2026.