Uzbekistan–China: Synergy of Potentials on the Path to New Opportunities
Uzbekistan–China: Synergy of Potentials on the Path to New Opportunities
From August 31 to September 3, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay an official visit to China.
After Uzbekistan gained independence, China became one of the first countries to recognize the new state. On January 2, 1992, diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, marking the beginning of the steady development of interstate dialogue.
Over more than thirty years, the relations between Uzbekistan and China have evolved from establishing contacts to a strategic partnership. Since 1991, there have been 25 summits between the leaders of the two countries. On June 6, 2012, Uzbek-Chinese relations were elevated 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, which remains resilient regardless of changes in the international political landscape.
The leaders of the two countries have developed warm, friendly, and trusting relations, which create a solid foundation for active cooperation, constructive interaction, and effective implementation of the agreed-upon commitments.
A milestone event in this context was the state visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to China in January 2024. It was full of fruitful meetings and agreements reached. Following the leaders’ negotiations, the leaders of two countries adopted a Joint Statement and signed a solid package of bilateral documents. During the visit, meetings were also held with Premier of the State Council Li Qiang and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji. Negotiations took place with the heads of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, CNPC and CITIC corporations, and the Export-Import Bank of China. The agenda also included meetings with 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 vehicles in Jizzakh region.
Tashkent and Beijing consistently support each other in the international arena, including initiatives aimed at addressing global challenges, and actively collaborate to achieve sustainable development goals while taking into account their national priorities and interests.
Diplomatic interaction between Uzbekistan and China on the international stage is actively developing in multilateral formats, including within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Today, Tashkent and Beijing serve as key participants in this structure, jointly promoting the strengthening of regional security, the development of trade and economic cooperation, and the deepening of humanitarian ties.
As part of the upcoming visit, the President of Uzbekistan will participate in the next SCO summit, where current issues on the regional agenda and the deepening of cooperation will be discussed among the heads of the member states.
The trusting dialogue between the leaders of the two countries creates favorable conditions for the development of cooperation at the highest and other levels.
An example of this is the dynamics of the development of interparliamentary cooperation. An important step in this direction was the establishment in 2017 of the interparliamentary cooperation group between the Oliy Majlis and the National People's Congress (NPC) of China. Since then, this mechanism has become an effective platform for exchanging experiences and coordinating joint initiatives. Within this framework, regular online meetings are held, delegations of parliamentarians from both countries participate in international forums organized by each other, and mutual visits take place.
During the visit of the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji to Uzbekistan from July 6 to 9, 2024, the delegation headed by him was received by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. This visit not only highlighted the high dynamics of interparliamentary dialogue, but also contributed to strengthening political cooperation overall.
Along with this, an active dialogue between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries plays an important role in interstate relations. Regular political consultations at the level of the Foreign Ministry allow coordinating key areas of cooperation, determining priorities for further political and economic interaction, and coordinating positions on topical issues on the international agenda. This mechanism strengthens mutual trust and promotes the steady development of Uzbek-Chinese relations at the strategic level. To date, 19 rounds of political consultations have been held, the most recent 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 between the Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan and China took place.
Cooperation between the foreign ministries of the two countries is also developing constructively within the framework of the Central Asia – China format. Since 2020, six meetings of foreign ministers have been held in this format, the most recent of which took place on April 26, 2025, in Almaty.
At the meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Bakhtiyor Saidov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi in the city of Chengdu, which took place in November-December 2024, an intergovernmental Agreement on mutual exemption from visa requirements was signed.
On July 15-16, 2025, as part of his participation in the meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan was received by the Chairman of the People's Republic of China 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 reforms carried out in both countries aimed at accelerating growth, reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development goals, Uzbekistan and China view trade and economic cooperation 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 has been steadily increasing. From 2017 to 2024, trade turnover grew more than 2.8 times, reaching 14 billion US dollars. The number of enterprises operating in Uzbekistan with Chinese investment has exceeded 4000, with more than 800 such enterprises established since the beginning of this year.
The activities of the Uzbek-Chinese Intergovernmental Committee on Cooperation effectively contribute to the deepening and expansion of bilateral economic cooperation. In 2023, a Subcommittee on Poverty Reduction was established within the framework of this committee - 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 developing support tools for the regions of Uzbekistan.
Cooperation at the regional level between Uzbekistan and China is also gaining new momentum.
The first interregional forum of Uzbekistan and China was held on January 22, 2024 in Urumqi. Over 1200 representatives of business circles, regional authorities, and industry organizations of both countries attended the forum. The event featured B2B and G2B negotiations, as well as the "Made in Uzbekistan" exhibition, showcasing products from Uzbek exporters. As a result of the forum, around 27 documents were signed between the regions, and the exhibition served as a platform for concluding approximately 30 contracts and agreements.
The second interregional forum was held on June 1-2, 2025, in the Samarkand international tourist complex "Silk Road Samarkand". It brought together over 2800 participants from business communities, regional and central authorities, as well as science and education sectors from both countries.
Such forums demonstrate the growing interest of Chinese investors in the opportunities by the free economic zones in the regions of our republic. As a result, the Syrdarya region has become a hub for advanced Chinese innovations ‑ innovative technoparks established there are based on the Chinese model. These technoparks are granted the status of free economic zones with a simplified customs regime. To finance these projects, the Uzbek-Chinese Investment Fund has been established jointly with the Silk Road Fund of China and other institutions, with an investment volume of up to 1 billion US dollars.
In addition, a special industrial zone "Two Regions - One Park" is being established in the industrial park in Chirchik with the participation of Chinese companies. The first production is expected to begin in 2026.
Overall, the total volume of Chinese investments utilized in Uzbekistan from 2017 to 2024 amounted to 24.6 billion US dollars, with plans to absorb more than 15 billion US dollars in financial inflows by the end of 2025.
Cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Uzbekistan and China is developing today on a solid foundation of ancient historical ties and the heritage of the Silk Road. This cooperation covers a wide range of areas, including education, art, tourism and humanitarian exchanges, contributing to the strengthening of mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.
There is strong interest in the 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 promotion. These educational institutions operate Confucius Institutes, which were the first of their kind in Central Asia.
In turn, there is a growing interest in learning the Uzbek language in China. Many Chinese students study in Uzbekistan, and courses in Uzbek language and literature are increasingly being offered at Chinese universities. The Central University of Nationalities (Beijing) and the Shanghai University of International Studies have Uzbek language departments.
Intercultural dialogue is enriched by numerous exhibitions, concerts, festivals and other events attended by representatives of culture and art of the two countries.
In May 2022, during the first “Central Asia – China” summit held in Xi’an, the Year of Culture and Art of the Peoples of Central Asia and China was officially launched, marked by over 100 cultural events.
As part of the international exhibition “Colorful Asia: Exhibition of Asian Costumes” held at the China National Silk Museum in Hangzhou in September 2023, the event “Nights of Uzbekistan” took place.
Another significant event in intercultural exchange was Uzbekistan’s participation with the largest number of exhibits at the exhibition of collections from the 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 Uzbekistan’s tourism and cultural potential was held in Beijing, organized by the Embassy of our country in China. The event coincided with the introduction of a visa-free regime allowing Chinese citizens to visit Uzbekistan for up to 30 days. This step has become an important incentive for enhancing intercultural dialogue, increasing tourist exchanges, and expanding business contacts.
Of course, it is difficult to cover all the directions and achievements of the comprehensive Uzbek-Chinese cooperation, especially in recent years, within a single article. Nevertheless, the facts presented convincingly demonstrate 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 have traditionally been open to dialogue and cooperation, forming a solid foundation for new joint initiatives.
In this context, the upcoming official visit of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the People’s Republic of China will undoubtedly mark another step toward deepening the strategic partnership, expanding political and economic cooperation, and strengthening humanitarian ties, opening even broader prospects for collaboration in the 21st century.
Dunyo IA