Uzbekistan-China cooperation: historic agreements reached in Samarkand

On June 1-2 of this year, the city of Samarkand, one of the ancient centers of the Great Silk Road, hosted an important international conference - the second interregional forum between Uzbekistan and China.

Within the framework of the forum, influential delegations from different regions of the two countries discussed the prospects for further strengthening mutual relations, implementing joint projects, and future cooperation.

On the final day of the conference, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov held a high-level meeting with the Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Chairman of the Chinese Committee on Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO, Shen Yueyue.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ms. Shen Yueyue asked the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to convey the sincere greetings and best wishes of President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning. She noted that this will be an important impetus for the further development of close cooperation and friendly relations between the two countries.

As noted during the meeting, today the relations between Uzbekistan and China have reached a high level of comprehensive strategic partnership. The main reason for this is the sincere mutual relations and political will of the leaders of the two countries.

The head of the Chinese delegation once again confirmed that his country will continue to comprehensively and firmly support Uzbekistan's policy of ensuring its independence, territorial integrity and national interests.

At the same time, the Chinese side stated that it sees Uzbekistan as the most important trade and economic partner in Central Asia. Currently, more than 3,700 enterprises with Chinese capital are operating in Uzbekistan. This plays an important role in the integration of the economies of the two countries.

During the forum, agreements were reached on the implementation of new promising joint projects in such areas as infrastructure, industrial cooperation, agriculture and "green" energy. In particular, it was noted that the visa-free regime, which came into force on June 1 of this year, will provide an additional impetus for the business circles of the two countries to further deepen cooperation and increase tourist flows.

A number of important agreements were signed between various regions of Uzbekistan and China within the framework of the second interregional forum. These agreements are aimed at expanding trade and economic ties, increasing the number of joint projects and improving the quality of implemented projects.

At the same time, cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries are also developing. According to the Chinese side, mutual understanding, cultural exchange and scientific cooperation between the two peoples will rise to even higher levels.

The meeting also exchanged views on further expanding and modernizing ties in the field of transport and logistics. In particular, the prospects for expanding China-Uzbekistan transport corridors and creating new routes to Europe through Central Asia were discussed.

In addition, it is planned to expand contacts between scientific research institutes in Uzbekistan and leading scientific centers in China and to bring mutual cooperation in the field of education to a higher level.

As the leaders of the two states emphasized, further deepening relations between Uzbekistan and China will make a great contribution not only to the development of the peoples of the two countries, but also to the development of the entire region.

Thus, the second Uzbekistan-China interregional forum held in Samarkand opened a new page in the history of cooperation between the two countries and laid a solid foundation for further expansion of future prospects. This, in turn, will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the well-being and economic development of the two peoples.