Uzbekistan is a friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of China. The development of multifaceted relations with China has been, and remains, one of the main priorities of Uzbekistan’s foreign policy, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev wrote in his article, entitled “Uzbekistan and China: millennia-long friendship and cooperation,” published by People’s Daily Online (China) on January 22, on the eve of Mirziyoyev’s state visit to China from January 23-25.
The President wrote that Uzbek-Chinese relations are experiencing the best period in their history, demonstrating a solid high dynamic. “Over the past three decades, thanks to the trustful dialogue at the top level, and regular summits of the heads of state, the interaction between our two countries has been expanding even more, reaching new historical heights,” Mirziyoyev says, adding that “we share a common desire to ensure regional and international security, a commitment to the central role of the UN and multilateral cooperation in tackling global challenges and achieving Sustainable Development Goals”.
Trade, economic and investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and China has been steadily growing. “Following the outcomes of last year, the bilateral trade turnover grew by 40 percent, with China being our top trade partner. Investment interaction is also actively developing. In recent years, the volume of Chinese investments has increased five-fold, and the number of enterprises with Chinese capital in various sectors of the economy has tripled.”
A number of large joint investment projects are underway in high technology, alternative energy, chemistry, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, electrical engineering, infrastructure modernization, and other areas, Mirziyoyev said, adding that “thanks to our Chinese partners, we are taking important steps in developing green energy and creating 27 gigawatts of renewable energy generation capacity by 2030”.
Touching upon Uzbek-Chinese ties in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, the President noted that year by year “our citizens are becoming more and more interested in studying the Chinese language, as well as its rich history and culture. Chinese is taught not only in universities, but also in schools within the educational curriculum as a second foreign language. Confucius Institutes are operating in Tashkent and Samarkand. Several thousands of our young women and men are studying in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in leading Chinese universities to become qualified specialists and take part in the implementation of future joint projects”.
Uzbekistan is one of the countries that Chinese tourist groups absolutely must visit, Mirziyoyev said, adding that the regions of Uzbekistan have established partnerships with Chinese provinces, attracting hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists every year.
Mirziyoyev emphasized that Uzbekistan is actively participating in various programs as part of the implementation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has become a global consolidating force. “In 10 years, this grandiose idea of the revival of the Great Silk Road has gained supporters in all corners of the planet, uniting two-thirds of the world’s countries. Today, from an appealing concept, it is turning into a practical reality. For us, the BRI is not just an infrastructure project. Through the joint implementation of the initiative, the region is becoming an important link in global connectivity, overcoming transport remoteness.”
“Today, we can firmly state that the earlier voiced predictions of skeptics about the predestined fate of the region’s countries to become only a transit corridor for China’s trade with Europe, South Asia and the Middle East failed to come true,” Mirziyoyev said. “Today, investments are increasing in Central Asia, with the number of joint high-technology industries growing, enhancing the economic potential of our countries. China’s strategic role enables Central Asia to be open to broad cooperation with the rest of the world, turning the region’s geographical disadvantages into advantages.”
The Uzbek leader also said that the first summit between the heads of state of Central Asia and China, held in May last year in Xi’an, was a breakthrough in our relations and defined the future development of multilateral cooperation. “This format has huge potential for building a model of comprehensive development of the states of the region and the western provinces of China, opens the prospects for the transition to close industrial and technological cooperation, as well as the development of transport, digital and humanitarian connectivity of the Central Asian countries with China.”
