Uzbekistan-China: synergy of potentials on the path to new opportunities

August 31 – September 3, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay an official visit to China

After gaining independence Uzbekistan, the People's Republic of China became one of the first countries to recognize the new state. Already on January 2, 1992, diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, which marked the beginning of the progressive development of interstate dialogue.

For more than thirty years, relations between Uzbekistan and China have gone from establishing contacts to a strategic partnership. Since 1991, 25 summits of the leaders of the two countries have taken place. On June 6, 2012, Uzbek-Chinese relations were raised to the level of strategic partnership, on June 22, 2016 - to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership, on September 15, 2022 - to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership in a new era, and finally, on January 24, 2024 - to the level of all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership. This dynamic emphasizes not only the high degree of trust between the two countries, but also the long-term nature of cooperation, independent of the foreign policy situation.

Warm, friendly and trusting relations have developed between the leaders of the two states, which create a solid basis for active cooperation, constructive interaction and effective implementation of the agreements reached.

A landmark event in this context was the state visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to China, which took place in January 2024. It was full of fruitful meetings and agreements reached. As a result of negotiations between the leaders of the two countries, a Joint Statement was adopted and a solid package of bilateral documents was signed. As part of this visit, meetings were also held with the Premier of the State Council Li Qiang and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji. Negotiations were held with the heads of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, CNPC and CITIC corporations, and the Export-Import Bank of China. The agenda included meetings with the Secretary of the Party Committee of Guangdong Province Huang Kunming, representatives of big business, as well as meetings with the heads of the Silk Road Fund, SANY and CSG companies and the launch of joint production of BYD hybrid and electric cars in the Jizzakh region.

Tashkent and Beijing consistently support each other in the international arena, including initiatives to solve global problems, and actively cooperate to achieve sustainable development goals, taking into account their national priorities and interests.

Diplomatic interaction between Uzbekistan and China in the international arena is actively developing in multilateral formats, including within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Today, Tashkent and Beijing act as key participants in this structure, jointly promoting the strengthening of regional security, the development of trade and economic interaction, and the deepening of humanitarian ties.

As part of the upcoming visit, the President of Uzbekistan will take part in the next SCO summit, where current issues of the regional agenda and deepening cooperation will be discussed among the heads of the organization’s member states.

Trusted dialogue between the heads of the two states creates favorable conditions for the development of interaction at high and other levels.

An example of this is the dynamics of the development of inter-parliamentary cooperation. An important step in this direction was the creation in 2017 of an inter-parliamentary group on cooperation between the Oliy Majlis and the National Congress of People's Deputies (NPC). Since then, this mechanism has become an effective platform for exchanging experiences and coordinating joint initiatives. Within this format, online meetings are regularly held, delegations of parliamentarians of the two countries take part in international forums organized by each other, and mutual visits are carried out.

During the visit of the Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Zhao Leji to Uzbekistan on July 6-9, 2024, the delegation he led was received by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This visit not only emphasized the high dynamics of the interparliamentary dialogue, but also contributed to the strengthening of political interaction in general.

Along with this, the active dialogue of the foreign ministries of the two countries plays an important role in interstate relations. Regular political consultations at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs make it possible to coordinate key areas of interaction, determine priorities for further political and economic interaction, and also coordinate positions on current issues on the international agenda. This mechanism strengthens mutual trust and stimulates the progressive development of Uzbek-Chinese relations at the strategic level. To date, 19 rounds of political consultations have been held, the last of which took place in May 2025 in Beijing.

In addition, on November 21, 2023, a new format of bilateral diplomatic interaction was launched in Beijing - the first strategic dialogue took place between the foreign ministers of Uzbekistan and China.

Cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries also It is also developing constructively within the framework of the “Central Asia – China” format. Since 2020, six meetings of foreign ministers have taken place in this format, the last of which took place on April 26, 2025 in Almaty.

At the meeting of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi in the city of Chengdu, held in November-December 2024, an intergovernmental Agreement on mutual exemption from visa requirements.

On July 15-16, 2025, as part of participation in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO, the head of the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan was received by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing and held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin.

Based on the complementary potential of their economies, the results of those held in both countries reforms aimed at accelerating growth, reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development goals, Uzbekistan and China consider trade and economic interaction as a key area of bilateral relations.

Today China is one of the leading trade and investment partners of Uzbekistan. The volume of mutual trade turnover is steadily growing. From 2017 to 2024, trade turnover increased by more than 2.8 times, reaching $14 billion. The number of enterprises operating in our country with the participation of Chinese investments has exceeded 4 thousand, and since the beginning of this year, more than 800 such enterprises have been created.

The activities of the Uzbek-Chinese Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee effectively contribute to the deepening and expansion of bilateral economic interaction. In 2023, within the framework of this committee, a Subcommittee on Poverty Reduction was created - another instrument of bilateral cooperation in the social sphere. It serves as a platform for discussing and agreeing on targeted socio-economic projects to reduce poverty and implement sustainable initiatives with an emphasis on transferring China’s experience and preparing tools to support the regions of Uzbekistan.

Cooperation at the regional level of Uzbekistan and China is also gaining new dynamics.

The first interregional forum of Uzbekistan and China took place on January 22, 2024 in the city of Urumqi. The forum was attended by over 1,200 representatives of business circles, regional authorities, as well as industry organizations of both countries. As part of the event, negotiations were held in B2B and G2B formats, as well as the “Made in Uzbekistan” exhibition, where products of Uzbek exporters were demonstrated. As a result of the forum, about 27 documents were signed between the regions, and the exhibition became a platform for concluding about 30 contracts and agreements.

The second interregional forum was held on June 1-2, 2025 in the Samarkand international tourist complex “Silk Road Samarkand”. Its participants included more than 2.8 thousand representatives of business circles, regional and central authorities, science and education on both sides.

Such forums demonstrate the growing interest of Chinese investors in the possibilities of free economic zones in the regions of our republic. As a result, the Syrdarya region has become a zone of advanced Chinese innovation; innovative technology parks based on the Chinese model are being created here, which receive the status of free economic zones with a simplified customs regime. To finance these projects, the Uzbek-Chinese Investment Fund is being established jointly with the China Silk Road Fund and other institutions with an investment volume of up to $1 billion

In addition, a special industrial zone “Two Regions - One Park” is being created in the industrial park in Chirchik with the participation of Chinese companies. It is expected that the first production of products here will begin in 2026.

In general, the total volume of Chinese investments disbursed in Uzbekistan in 2017-2024 amounted to $24.6 billion, and by the end of 2025 it is planned to disburse more than $15 billion of financial investments.

Cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Uzbekistan and China is developing today on the solid foundation of ancient historical ties and the heritage of the Silk Road. This cooperation covers a wide range of areas, including education, arts, tourism and humanitarian exchanges, promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

There is great interest in Chinese language and culture in Uzbekistan. The Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies and the Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages ​​play a key role in their study and popularization. These educational institutions operate Confucius Institutes, which were the first such institutions in Central Asia.

In turn, in China, there is a growing interest in learning the Uzbek language. Many Chinese students study in Uzbekistan, and Chinese universities are increasingly opening courses in the Uzbek language and literature. There are departments of the Uzbek language at the Central University of Nationalities (Beijing) and the Shanghai University of International Studies.

Intercultural dialogue is enriched by numerous exhibitions, concerts, festivals and other events in which representatives of the culture and art of the two countries take part.

In May 2022 in Xi'an as part of the first "Central" summit Asia - China" the official launch of the Year of Culture and Art of the Peoples of Central Asia and China took place, which was marked by over 100 cultural events.

As part of the international exhibition "Colorful Asia: Exhibition of Asian Costumes" at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou in September 2023, the event "Nights of Uzbekistan" was held.

Another significant event in intercultural exchange was the participation of Uzbekistan with the largest number of exhibits in the exhibition of the collection of national museums of the SCO member states, which opened in August this year at the National Museum of China.

An important aspect of cultural cooperation is the development of tourism. In May of this year, an event dedicated to the tourism and cultural potential of Uzbekistan, organized by the Embassy of our country in China, was held in Beijing. The event was timed to coincide with the introduction of a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens when visiting Uzbekistan for up to 30 days. This step has become an important stimulus for the intensification of intercultural dialogue, the growth of tourist exchange, and the expansion of business contacts.

Of course, within the framework of one article it is difficult to cover all the areas and achievements of comprehensive Uzbek-Chinese cooperation, especially in recent years. Nevertheless, the facts already stated convincingly indicate that bilateral relations have reached an unprecedented level of trust and mutual understanding, and continue to strive for further improvement and strengthening. The peoples of Uzbekistan and China are traditionally open to dialogue and interaction, which forms a solid basis for new joint initiatives.

In this context, the upcoming official visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the People's Republic of China will certainly be another step towards deepening the strategic partnership, expanding political and economic cooperation, as well as strengthening humanitarian ties, opening up even broader prospects for cooperation in the 21st century century.

IA “Dunyo”