Friday, 20, September, 2024

Talks took place between the president of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the president of China Xi Jinping with the participation of members of official delegations on Wednesday in Beijing, the presidential press service said.

The heads of state pointed to a “powerful breakthrough in bilateral relations” over the recent years.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev thanked Xi Jinping China for his personal attention and support to matters of cooperation in the fight against poverty.

The parties welcomed the launch of a pilot project to introduce the Chinese vocational education system in Uzbekistan - the “Lu Ban Workshop”.

In 2023, the two-way trade between the countries reached $14 billion, while the two leaders expressed about the possibility of bringing it to $20 billion in the near future.

In recent years, the volume of Chinese investment in the Uzbek economy has increased fivefold, the number of joint ventures has tripled.

An agreement was reached on the preparation of cooperation programs in the areas of infrastructure development, industrial cooperation, technology transfer in agriculture and green energy.

Two PV plants with a capacity of 1000 MW were commissioned at the end of last year in Uzbekistan by Chinese companies.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev highly commended the level of financial and technical cooperation with leading Chinese banks and the Silk Road Fund, as well as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank .

He welcomed the agreement to expand financial instruments to support investment projects, including the creation of a joint platform, as well as the decision of the Exim Bank of China to open a regional office for Central Asia in Tashkent city.

The president also called on Chinese partners to actively participate in the processes of privatization of state-owned enterprises and banks in Uzbekistan.

The two leaders welcomed the stepped up interprovincial exchanges. To coordinate cooperation in this area, the sides agreed to establish the Council of Provinces of Uzbekistan and China.

The parties emphasized the importance of the early start of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project, which is designed to become an important component of the Transcontinental Transport and Transit Bridge within the One Belt and Road initiative.

They noted success of the first educational forum in Beijing, the exhibition of tourism opportunities of Uzbekistan in Shanghai and the Days of Uzbek Culture.

The parties pointed out the need to intensify cooperation in the fields of education and tourism, and continue the practice of holding mutual cultural days. It was proposed to hold the first joint Youth Innovation Forum.

To implement all planned activities and put forward initiatives, the parties agreed to hold meetings of the intergovernmental committee and all subcommittees in the first half of this year.

There was also an exchange of views on 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.

At the end of the negotiations, the Uzbek leader invited the head of the People's Republic of China to visit the country.

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