President of China Xi Jinping arrived in Uzbekistan on 8 September with a state visit to Uzbekistan on invitation of the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov.

On 9 September, official welcoming ceremony of the Chinese President was held at Kuksaray presidential residence. The guard of honor was lined up to welcome the honorary guest. The national anthems of China and Uzbekistan were glorified, after which the heads of the states reviewed the guard of honor.

During the meeting Islam Karimov and Xi Jinping exchanged opinion on wide-range of issues, related to further developing cooperation between Uzbekistan and China, regional and international issues of mutual interest in one-on-one meeting.

Islam Karimov underlined that the first state visit of the President of China Xi Jinping to Uzbekistan is considered as historic event in bilateral relations and evidence for strengthening of cooperation between Uzbekistan and China.

Xi Jinping highly rated relations between two nations and underlined important of such meetings, which serve interests of Chinese and Uzbek people and general development.

Friendly relations between Uzbek and Chinese people have historic roots deep into centuries. Cultural and trade contacts between ancient Maveraunnahr and Celestial Empire played important role in spreading tea, cotton, silk, paper and other products to other countries of the world.

Currently, bilateral relations are developed in all directions in line with the agreement on partnership of friendship and cooperation relations and joint declaration on establishing strategic partnership. The cooperation covers all directions and is mutually beneficial. It was said that mutual visits play important role in development of relations.

It was noted that official visit of the President of Uzbekistan to China in June 2012 lifted bilateral relations to new level. The joint declaration of establishing strategic partnership was signed in the result of the visit. Some 45 trade-economic, investment and financial agreements for US$5.3 billion were signed within that visit.

Two countries render mutual political support each other at international arena to promote important issues of mutual interest, expanding cooperation within the UN, SCO and other international organizations.

The sides also actively cooperate in strengthening regional security. It was noted that approaches to solving regional and international problems are similar or common. Uzbekistan and China believe that there is no military solution of Afghan problem and only way to solve it is political solutions through negotiations under aegis of the UN and achieve consensus between conflicting sides.

Islam Karimov underlined that Uzbekistan highly rates dynamically developing cooperation with China, which are based on mutual trust, respect and interest. Uzbekistan is for developing relations with China in all directions and especially interested in further expanding cooperation in energy, transport, trade, telecommunication and other areas.

Xi Jinping underlined that China consider Uzbekistan as close neighbor, tested by time, and strategic partner. For 21 years of diplomatic relations, the cooperation developed with stable tempo. Serious results were achieved in various areas and several large investment projects. The Chinese leader expressed reading of his country to continue fruitful cooperation with Uzbekistan to implement agreements of strategic character, reached at high level.

The inter-parliamentary contacts are deepening. A memorandum of cooperation between Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan and Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress was signed in 2011.

Number of visits of the governmental delegations increased. Ten rounds of political consultations between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and China were held in 2004-2013.

An Uzbek-Chinese intergovernmental committee on cooperation was set up in Beijing in October 2013, within which sessions of six sub-committees – on trade-economic and investment cooperation, security cooperation, cultural-humanitarian cooperation, energy, transport and scientific cooperation – were held. Active contacts helped to strengthen mutual support on actual issues, including within the UN and SCO. So, Beijing affirmed its position on inadmissibility of construction of hydro power projects in Central Asia, which can damage ecologic balance, and support principles of rational use of water flow of trans-boundary rivers in the region. Uzbekistan support China on territorial integrity and fighting three evils – terrorism, extremism and separatism.

Leaders of Uzbekistan and China continued negotiations with participation of the official delegations in expanded structure.

The sides considered priority tasks of strategic partnership and perspectives of further expansion of multifaceted cooperation between two nations in trade-economic, investment, financial and humanitarian spheres.

Uzbekistan pays important attention to further strengthening of strategic partnership with China, expanding cooperation between two states in all spheres based on principles of mutual benefit and equality.

The sides positively rated sustainable growth of the volume of mutual trade. The volume of foreign trade turnover rose from US$904 million in2007 to US$3.4 billion in 2012. In the first half of 2013, it reached US$2.3 billion, which rose by 59% year-on-year.

Investment partnership is carried out within the programme of cooperation between the governments of Uzbekistan and China in non-raw and high technologic spheres, signed in 2010.

Currently the sides are expanding cooperation in order to implement various projects, first of all, in high technologies.

There are currently 455 enterprises with Chinese investments in Uzbekistan, of which 70% are with 100% Chinese capital. Some 71 Chinese firms have their offices in Uzbekistan.

Since 2002, about 83 investment projects for US$6.75 billion were implemented in Uzbekistan with attraction of Chinese loans and investments, of which 52 projects were realized with attraction of direct investments worth US$5.75 billion and 31 projects with attraction of loan softs for US$992.4 million.

It is worth to mention that during the visit of the Uzbek President Islam Karimov to China in June 2012, the sides signed a package of documents for over US$5.3 billion, envisaging realization of over 30 investment projects.

Within the current visit of the Chinese President to Uzbekistan, the countries signed 31 agreements on implementation of projects for over US$15 billion.

Uzbekistan supported initiative of China on creation of Uzbek-Chinese industrial high technology park with participation of Chinese firms in 2011. In March 2014, Uzbekistan created special industrial zone Jizzakh with branch in Syrdarya region. From June 2014, the zone started production of mobile phones, construction materials and other goods.

Besides, currently the sides reached 14 agreements on creation of high technologic production capacities at the park with attraction of investments from China.

Several Chinese companies are participating in projects on exploration and development of hydrocarbons in Uzbekistan.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) participates in exploration of perspective hydrocarbon fields and in project on deep processing of natural gas at Mubarek Gas Chemical Complex.

Both sides pays important strategic attention to implementation of the project on construction and exploitation of gas pipeline Uzbekistan-China, forming stable corridor for long-term supply of natural gas to China. The sides inked an agreement on principles of construction and exploitation of gas pipeline, signed within the visit of the Chinese leader to Uzbekistan, envisages construction of the fourth line of the gas pipeline with designed capacity of 30 billion cubic meters a year.

Important strategic issue of bilateral economic cooperation is creation of the most short railway communication between two nations, which will allow optimal transport access for China to Central Asia and to Southern Asia. Uzbekistan supports implementation a project on construction of railroad on route China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan. The logic continuation is a project on construction of railroad Angren-Pap, which will allow to open direct access from China to Southern Asia. Construction of this road with participation of Chinese partners was started in June 2013 when Uzbekistan Railways and China Railway Tunnel Group sign a contract on construction of saddle-tunnel at Angren-Pap railway for US$455 million.

State Development Bank of China and Eximbank of China actively develop cooperation in finance sphere of Uzbekistan. Total loan portfolio of Chinese financial institutions exceeded US$4.5 billion. The loans were directed to implement projects in healthcare, education, energy, transport and telecommunication.

Within the agreements, reached within the visit of Islam Karimov to Beijing in 2011 and 2012, the sides are working on implementation of seven projects with allocation of soft loan of China for about US$400.6 million in chemical, power, agriculture and water management, as well as development of transport infrastructure.

Within the current visit, an agreement between the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan and State Development Bank of China on joint financing of priority investment projects for US$11.6 billion was signed.

Relations in culture, science and technologies have been actively advancing between our two countries. The first monument to the representative of the Uzbek culture – the great miniature artist Kamoliddin Behzod was opened in China in 2003 in the city of Chanchun of the Jilin province within the frameworks of the 6th Forum of World Sculpture.

The Uzbekistan-China Friendship Society and the PRC-Central Asian Countries Friendship Society have been instrumental in advancing mutual contacts.

On 15 May 2013, the city of Shanghai hosted the opening ceremony of China’s first Center for the Study of Uzbekistan and the education exchanges at the base of the Public Diplomacy Research Institute of SCO at Shanghai University.

The enhancement of interaction in culture has been facilitated by the Program of Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China for 2011-2013. To this end, the Uzbek Culture Week was held in 2011 in the cities of Beijing and Xi’an, while the Chinese Culture Week was organized in 2012 in the cities of Tashkent and Samarkand. This year, an artistic exhibition “Works of Renowned Artists of Uzbekistan” has been held in a number of China’s major urban centers.

In 2012-2013 in general, in excess of 20 events dedicated to the culture, history and arts of Uzbekistan have been organized in the PRC. A range of reciprocal visits by delegations of culture and arts representatives have been organized, including for the participation in the Asrlar Sadosi Festival of Traditional Culture, the Art Week Style.uz, the Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival.

In the sphere of education, exchanges have been increasing between students and interns along government and agency levels, including as part of learning Chinese and Uzbek. More than 350 attendees are taught every year at the Confucius Institute in Tashkent. At the Central University of China Nationalities, the department of Uzbek language was included in June 2010 in the newly created Faculty of Russian Language and Languages of Central Asian Countries. Uzbek started to be taught as an optional course at the Beijing University of Foreign Languages from the academic year 2012-2013.

In addition, 120 Uzbek students and interns were granted Chinese government scholarship for the academic year 2012-2013 in accordance with a bilateral agreement and within the frameworks of the SCO. Approximately 70 students from Uzbekistan have been studying at Lanzhou University as part of the Confucius Institute scheme.

During the visit, an agreement has been penned on cooperation in the establishment of Confucius Institute in the city of Samarkand, which will serve the further enhancement of interaction in the educational sphere.

The two sides have been placing a special emphasis on the cooperation in tourism. A process has been underway since 2010 to grant the Republic of Uzbekistan a status of tourist destination country for group trips of Chinese citizens. The travel potential of our country was presented last April in Beijing at a major tour fair, China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market 2013, and at the international professional tour fair WTF 2013 in Shanghai last May.

Following the negotiations at the Kuksaroy residence, Islam Karimov and Xi Jinping signed the Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation and the Joint Declaration on the Further Development and Enhancement of Bilateral Relations of Strategic Partnership. Also penned was the intergovernmental agreement on technical-economic cooperation, along with a range of other documents designed to boost the interaction in economic, financial, education areas as well as oil and gas industry.

During the meeting with mass media representatives, the heads of two states noted that the talks and discussions between the two sides passed in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, constructivism and shared confidence. Their outcomes manifested the community and concurrency of positions on the majority of issues addressed. The leaders of our two nations stressed that the deals reached will serve the further development of the Uzbek-Chinese interaction and the enhancement of wellbeing of our two peoples.

As it was pointed out, the current visit has become an important event in the Sino-Uzbek relations. The two sides said they highly appreciated the dynamically advancing political, economic and humanitarian cooperation. The negotiations have underscored once again the closeness of views of the two countries across an entire spectrum of topical dimensions in contemporary development, in such areas as the necessity of interaction in combating the three forces of evil, in matters pertinent to the development of bilateral relations and the solution of numerous international issues. The parties to talks expressed willingness to continue with contacts at the highest level and boost the cooperation in such areas as economy, power industry, finances, investments, high technologies, and increase trade turnover and expand humanitarian ties.

Later the day, Islam Karimov and Xi Jinping traveled to the Mustaqillik Square. Here, the high-ranking guest laid wreath to the Monument of Independence and Humanism that symbolizes the freedom of Uzbekistan, the nobleness of aspirations of our people and the sincere belief in the bright future. The Chinese leader gave a high appraisal to the wide-ranging creative works undertaken under the leadership of Uzbekistan’s President at the Mustaqillik Square.

During the trip to the Senate of Oliy Majlis, the President of the PRC was introduced to the activities of the upper house of the Uzbek parliament. When he met with the Senate Chairman Ilgizar Sobirov, the high-ranking guest was informed in detail about the peculiarities in the functioning of the Senate.

On the same day, Xi Jinping traveled to one of Tashkent’s major tour attractions – the State Museum of the History of the Temurids, and reviewed the exhibits and unique items about the Sahibkiran and his posterity. The PRC leader left a note in the Book of Honorable Guests.