Uzbekistan’s president Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in Beijing on January 23rd to begin a three-day state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese president Xi Jinping.
On January 24th Mr Mirziyoyev had a meeting with the premier of the State Council of China, Li Qiang. The two parties discussed the trade and economic spheres, and both noted that Uzbek-Chinese relations have reached an unprecedented level in all areas, Mirziyoyev’s press service reported.
Last year bilateral trade turnover grew by 50%, reaching $14 billion. The sides pointed out the potential for increasing this figure to $20 billion, including by increasing mutual supplies of high-quality agricultural and industrial goods. The total volume of Chinese investments in the economy of Uzbekistan currently exceeds $14 billion.
The parties considered joint programs in the fields of infrastructure modernization, technology transfer in agriculture, and the development of green energy. They also discussed the potential for companies in Uzbekistan to cooperate more closely with leading Chinese banks and financial institutions, as well as the participation of Chinese companies in privatization processes in Uzbekistan.
The parties also spoke for further expansion of air traffic and tourism initiatives between the two countries.
Mr Mirziyoyev also met with the chairman of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Dai Houliang, to discuss new projects to construct underground natural-gas storage facilities in Uzbekistan and to modernize its gas transportation systems. The introduction of modern drilling technologies and the training of oil and gas workers was also discussed.
