WNAM Monitoring: Talks were held in Beijing between the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping with the participation of members of official delegations.
The President of Uzbekistan expressed sincere gratitude to the Leader of China for the invitation and the warm welcome, as well as high assessments of the reforms in New Uzbekistan.
The heads of state noted a decisive breakthrough had been made in bilateral relations over the past years.
The growing dynamics of contacts at all levels, the strengthening of political dialogue, and mutual support on key issues were noted with particular satisfaction.
Last November, Beijing hosted the first meeting of the Strategic Dialogue of Foreign Ministers. Interparliamentary cooperation has intensified.
The President of Uzbekistan thanked the President of the People’s Republic of China for his attention and support to cooperation issues in the fight against poverty.
The parties welcomed the launch of a pilot project to introduce the Chinese vocational education system in Uzbekistan – the Luban Workshop.
Trade, economic, and investment cooperation is developing dynamically.
Last year, the trade turnover reached $14 billion. A mutual opinion was expressed that there is every opportunity to increase trade turnover to $20 billion soon.
In recent years, the volume of Chinese investment in the Uzbekistan economy has increased fivefold, and the number of joint ventures has tripled.
An agreement was reached on preparing and adopting cooperation programs in infrastructure development, industrial cooperation, technology transfer in agriculture, and green energy.
In this context, it was noted with satisfaction that at the end of last year, two new solar power plants with a capacity of 1000 megawatts were put into operation in Uzbekistan with the participation of Chinese companies.
The current level of fruitful financial and technical cooperation with leading Chinese banks and the Silk Road Fund, as well as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, was highly appreciated.
The Head of state welcomed the agreements on enhancing financial instruments to support investment projects, including creating a joint platform, as well as the decision of China Exim Bank to open a regional office for Central Asia in Tashkent.
The President also called on Chinese partners to actively participate in the privatization process of state-owned enterprises and banks in Uzbekistan.
The leaders welcomed the intensification of interregional exchanges. They agreed to establish the Council of Regions of Uzbekistan and China to coordinate cooperation in this direction.
The importance of the early start of practical work on the construction of the China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan railway, designed to become an essential component of the Transcontinental Transport and Transit Bridge within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, was emphasized.
The success of the first educational forum in Beijing and the exhibition of tourism opportunities of Uzbekistan in Shanghai was noted. The events taking place these days as part of the Uzbek Culture Days aroused keen interest among residents and guests of the capital of China.
The need to intensify cooperation in education and tourism and continue the practice of holding mutual cultural days was noted. It was proposed to hold the first joint Youth Innovation Forum.
For the practical implementation of all planned activities and initiatives, the parties agreed to hold meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee and all subcommittees in the first half of this year.
Views were also exchanged on the current issues of the regional agenda and international politics.
The unwavering position on supporting the “One China” policy and combating the “three forces of evil” was confirmed.
Following the talks, the Leader of Uzbekistan invited the President of the People’s Republic of China to visit Uzbekistan and congratulated the friendly people of China on the upcoming Chinese New Year – the Chun Jie holiday.
The meeting took place in a traditionally confidential, open and friendly atmosphere.
