Why Kyrgyz Citizens Are Turning Against China's Growing Footprint

China's expanding role in Kyrgyzstan has become increasingly hard to ignore. During the first half of 2026, Kyrgyzstan issued some 61,000 work visas, according to the Foreign Ministry's Consular Department, with about 60 percent going to Chinese citizens. That influx of Chinese workers is part of a wider economic expansion. Nearly 7,000 Chinese companies, associations, and other organizations have been registered in Kyrgyzstan over the past three years, according to official statistics. Chinese firms are involved in many of the country's largest…