Negotiations between the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, took place in Beijing with the participation of members of the official delegations, Uza.uz reports.
The heads of the states noted that over the past years, there has been a powerful breakthrough in bilateral relations.
The growing dynamics of contacts at all levels, the strengthening of political dialogue, and mutual support on key issues were satisfactorily acknowledged.
President Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude to the Chairman of China for personal attention and support on issues of cooperation in combating poverty in Uzbekistan.
The launch of a pilot project to implement the Chinese vocational education system in Uzbekistan, known as "Lu Ban's Workshop," was welcomed by both sides.
The dynamic development of trade, economic, and investment cooperation between the two countries was noted.
The trade turnover reached $14 billion by the end of 2023. There is mutual agreement on the availability of all opportunities to increase the trade turnover to $20 billion in the near future.
In recent years, the volume of Chinese investments in the Uzbek economy has increased fivefold, and the number of joint ventures has tripled.
An agreement was reached on the preparation and adoption of cooperation programs in the fields of infrastructure development, industrial cooperation, technology transfer in agriculture, and "green" energy.
In this context, it was noted with satisfaction that at the end of 2023, two new solar power stations with a capacity of 1000 megawatts were put into operation in Uzbekistan with the participation of Chinese companies.
High praise was given to the current level of productive financial-technical cooperation with leading Chinese banks, the Silk Road Fund, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Uzbekistan's leader welcomed agreements on expanding financial instruments to support investment projects, including the creation of a joint platform. Additionally, he highlighted China Exim Bank's decision to open a regional office for Central Asia in Tashkent.
President Mirziyoyev also called on Chinese partners to actively participate in the privatization processes of state enterprises and banks in Uzbekistan.
Both sides welcomed the activation of interregional exchanges and agreed to establish the Uzbekistan-China Regional Council for coordinating cooperation in this direction.
The importance of commencing practical work on the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway was emphasized. This railway is intended to become a crucial component of the Transcontinental Transport and Transit Bridge under the Chinese initiative "One Belt, One Road."
President Mirziyoyev's visit to China will last for several days.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
January 24, 2024