Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Xi Jinping Photo: Press Service of the President of Uzbekistan
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, agreeing to deepen cooperation across a wide range of sectors and raise bilateral trade to $30 billion in the coming years. The Uzbek leader’s press service reported the outcome.
The two leaders noted that bilateral trade turnover neared $18 billion last year. They set a new target of $30 billion and agreed to continue expanding mutual supplies of industrial and agricultural goods, while encouraging Uzbek companies to take an active part in trade fairs held in China.
Investment cooperation was also on the agenda. The current portfolio of joint projects totals around $60 billion, while more than 6,000 Uzbek-Chinese enterprises operate in Uzbekistan.
The sides identified a number of promising areas for further cooperation, including energy, chemicals, metallurgy, construction materials, food production, transport, infrastructure, agriculture and high technology. They also agreed to broaden new “growth areas” in the digital economy, mining, and the development and processing of mineral resources.
Mirziyoyev and Xi highlighted the growing importance of regional-level ties. Nearly all regions of Uzbekistan now maintain close contacts with Chinese provinces, as reflected in the third Uzbekistan-China interregional forum, held in Xi’an in May.
Construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway is also moving forward. The leaders said the route would become an important element of Eurasia’s transport architecture and strengthen cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
They also discussed cultural and humanitarian exchanges and tourism, which has been expanding rapidly, including after the introduction of a visa-free regime. The two countries now plan to broaden their air links by increasing the number of flights between their cities.
In addition, the leaders described joint space-exploration initiatives and peaceful nuclear-energy projects as important and promising areas of cooperation.
According to Mirziyoyev’s press service, the Uzbek president held a series of bilateral meetings ahead of the SCO summit in Bishkek, including talks with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sergio Gor, the US president’s special envoy for South and Central Asia.
