Uzbekistan - The Times Of Central Asia

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Uzbek President Mirziyoyev Lauds Strategic Partnership with China

The president of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will make a state visit to China from January 23rd to 25th, at the invitation of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. On the eve of the visit, the Chinese People's Daily Online published an article by Mirziyoyev, entitled “Uzbekistan and China: millennia-long friendship and cooperation,” in which the Uzbek leader says that Uzbekistan is a friendly neighbor and committed strategic partner to China, and that the development of multifaceted relations with China has always been one of the main priorities of Uzbekistan's foreign policy. Mirziyoyev wrote that Uzbek-Chinese relations are experiencing the best period in their history, with trade, economic and investment cooperation steadily growing. Last year bilateral trade turnover grew by 40 per cent, Mirziyoyev wrote, with China being Uzbekistan’s “top trade partner”. In recent years the volume of Chinese investments in Uzbekistan has increased five-fold, and the number of enterprises with Chinese capital in various sectors of the economy has tripled. A number of large joint investment projects are underway, spanning sectors including technology, alternative energy, chemicals, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, electrical engineering and infrastructure modernization. Mirziyoyev added that “thanks to our Chinese partners, we are taking important steps in developing green energy to create 27 gigawatts of renewable energy generation capacity by 2030”. Mirziyoyev emphasized that Uzbekistan is actively involved in implementing China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has become a global consolidating force. “In 10 years, this grandiose idea of the revival of the Great Silk Road has gained supporters in all corners of the planet, uniting two-thirds of the world's countries. Today, from an appealing concept, it is turning into a practical reality. For us, the BRI is not just an infrastructure project. Through the joint implementation of the initiative, the region is becoming an important link in global connectivity, overcoming transport remoteness.” “Today, we can firmly state that the earlier voiced predictions of skeptics about the predestined fate of the region's countries to become only a transit corridor for China's trade with Europe, South Asia and the Middle East failed to come true,” Mirziyoyev stressed. “Today, investments are increasing in Central Asia, with the number of joint high-technology industries growing, enhancing the economic potential of our countries. China's strategic role enables Central Asia to be open to broad cooperation with the rest of the world, turning the region's geographical disadvantages into advantages.” The Uzbek president also said that the first summit between the heads of state of the Central Asian countries and China, held in May 2023 in Xi'an, was a breakthrough in their relations and set out the future development of multilateral cooperation. “This format has huge potential for building a model of comprehensive development of the states of the region and the western provinces of China, opens the prospects for the transition to close industrial and technological cooperation, as well as the development of transport, digital and humanitarian connectivity of the Central Asian countries with China,” Mirziyoyev said.

Uzbekistan’s senators amend legislation to improve environmental safety

During a meeting on January 20th, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis introduced amendments to legislation aimed at improving environmental safety. The amendments are aimed at reducing the negative impact on the environment. They will also contribute to increasing the responsibility of state bodies. The amendments establish clear mechanisms and procedures for responding to threats to the life and health of the population. According to the senators, the increase in construction, production and urbanization leads to increased emissions of pollutants into the environment. Urbanization is often accompanied by the expansion of production capacity, construction of factories, enterprises and infrastructure, which leads to an increase in emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. In Uzbekistan this takes place due to the active development of industry, construction of new infrastructure facilities, increase in motor traffic, and poor quality of waste treatment systems. In accordance with the proposed amendments, the legislation now provides for the possibility of limiting and temporarily suspending the operation of facilities that have a negative impact on the environment for a period of up to 10 working days, in order to prevent possible emergencies, epidemics and other threats to people’s health. According to the senators, these changes contribute to improving the environmental situation and protecting enterprises, as well as fighting corruption and increasing the responsibility of government agencies. However, Senate chairwoman Tanzila Narbayeva expressed doubts and noted that environmental laws should not contain ambiguous norms that can be interpreted and applied differently. "In practice, such a situation can cause various problems, misunderstandings, discontent and, worst of all, cases of corruption. From this point of view, these amendments are very important. Because the level of industrialization in our country is growing every year. Under such conditions, the scale of environmental impact will increase. Especially today, in our big cities, such as Tashkent, such clear legal norms are very important for prevention of exceeding the level of air pollution." Due to this, additional changes are possible in the future, which will more precisely justify the laws "On Nature Protection", "On Atmospheric Air Protection" and "On Environmental Control".

Uzbekistan Ratifies Agreement on Transfer of Prisoners with Iran

The forty-ninth plenary session of the Senate of Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan took place in Tashkent on January 20th. Tanzila Norboeva, the head of the Senate presided over the plenary meeting, which was conducted via video conference, wherein discussions were held regarding a bill entitled, On the ratification of the Agreement on the transfer of prisoners between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran (Tehran, June 18, 2023). The agreement’s ratification gives Iranian and Uzbek citizens who have been detained in each other's territories a legal foundation on which to serve out their sentences in their home nation, thus allowing for regular visits with close relatives and easing the transition to civilian life. The agreement also opens up the possibility of bilateral cooperation in the area of the transfer of convicts.

Uzbekistan Aims to Attract More Foreign Investment, Increase Exports

On January 18th, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev chaired a government meeting on priority tasks in the field of investment, export and industry for 2024, his press service has reported. It was stated at the meeting that the Uzbekistan 2030 strategy has set a goal of bringing the country's GDP to $160 billion and per capita income to $4,000 a year, which cannot be achieved solely through the domestic market; meaning there is a need to attract more foreign investment and increase exports. Over the past six years, the country has received almost $50 billion in foreign investment, with the economy growing by 6% last year. However, exports did not increase. It was stated that although Uzbekistan has enjoyed the EU’s GSP+ trade preference system and has the opportunity to export 6,200 types of goods to Europe duty-free, only 384 types of goods were exported under this system last year. To take the economy to a new level would require exports to be increased by at least 30% annually. A total of $200 million has been allocated for export lending, but that has not always translated into the production of value-added products and exports. From now on, subsidies and loans will be provided primarily to exporters entering new markets with products with high added value. Another issue discussed at the meeting was industrial production. Over the past six years, the volume of investments attracted to industry has increased seven-fold, with equipment worth $14 billion being imported over the past three years. Uzbekistan has created 24 special economic zones (SEZs), where land is allocated in a simplified manner and tax benefits are provided by the state. However, these opportunities are not being fully utilized. For instance, 800 hectares of land with ready-made infrastructure is still empty in the SEZs. Therefore, it was decided that 240 hectares of land in SEZs in the Bukhara, Navoi, and Tashkent regions will be outsourced to foreign companies.

Mirziyoyev: Officials Must Reorient to Preserve Environment

President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has criticized officials who insist on building new cement plants instead of introducing environmental technologies. "The country has production capacities which can more than cover the annual demand for cement," Mirziyoyev said. "So, it is surprising that officials, instead of increasing the production of value-added products and introducing technologies that reduce their harmful impact on the environment, are proposing that 22 more cement plants be constructed." Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of responsible decision making in the sphere of industry. He noted that over the past six years, the volume of investment in industry has increased sevenfold, but insufficient information has been provided by the heads of industries and regions on jobs created and the growth of exports, meaning officials do not sufficiently analyze and provide data on the economic and social consequences of investments in the construction of new cement plants. The President also expressed concern about the environmental aspect of the issue. Instead of the mass construction of new plants, which are likely to exacerbate the negative impact on the environment, he called for a greater emphasis to be placed on the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies in cement production. Such measures would reduce air and water pollution, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to effectively use existing plants by increasing their productivity and introducing innovative solutions, noting that the introduction of environmentally friendly technologies would increase the quality and competitiveness of Uzbek cement in the world market. In summation, Mirziyoyev instructed officials to reorient their goals to ensure sustainable development and preserve the environment.

Mirziyoyev to Visit China – Strengthen Strategic Partnership

At the invitation of the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will make a state visit to China from January 23rd to 25th, the press service of the President of Uzbekistan has reported. Within the framework of his stay in Beijing, a series of high-level talks and bilateral meetings are planned. The main objective of the visit will be to discuss and settle key aspects in further strengthening Uzbek-Chinese relations, with the aim of establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership and expanding practical cooperation in various fields. The partnership between Uzbekistan and China is of great strategic importance, the press service stated. In addition, Mirziyoyev also plans to visit regions of China, where he will hold meetings with the heads of leading Chinese companies and representatives from banking and financial institutions.