IT may attract more Chinese investment in Kyrgyzstan: observers

Observers say that information technology (IT) is expected to become a new focus of Chinese investment in Kyrgyzstan.

A forum gathering IT experts has been held in Bishkek, where potential clients and investors discuss the latest trends in IT and look for opportunities.

"Our revenues are doubling each year. Our specialists are growing by 50 percent per year, so we have this dynamic growth. We are expanding our markets. Right now, we export to more than 30 countries, so we are very proud of our IT sector," says Altynbek Ismailov, the director of the High Teck Park of Kyrgyzstan.

Ismailov says IT companies in Kyrgyzstan are eyeing Chinese investors.

"We see the tremendous growth in China. And of course as a neighboring country, we want to partner with them, and we are looking for more joint opportunities," says Ismailov.

Some companies have found that one of the fast growing industries is gaming.

Grimwood Team, located in Bishkek, has been focusing on video game development, and their game World of One has become the first game from Kyrgyzstan to enter platforms such as Steam and Xbox.

The company’s co-founder Sergei Alexeev says the interest in gaming has been on the rise in the country.

"People are increasing their kind of skills in this. They start to understand that games are also a kind of art, that you need to maintain and support people who make games. And they're trying to pay for games," says Alexeev.

Alexeev adds that they are hopeful of entering the Chinese market.

"It's a really big market. And we know that we can provide and develop products for China, and for Chinese. I think China will love us and our games," says Alexeev.

Observers say that the IT industry in Kyrgyzstan has a lot of potential to bloom especially for start-ups.

They say attracting foreign investment from countries like China is not only about a potential increase of revenue, but also about developing their human resources and attracting talents from abroad.