Uzbekistan and China Expand Investment Portfolio with $8 Billion Absorbed

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On the sidelines of the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum (TMIF-2026), Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjayev held a series of key negotiations with a high-level Chinese delegation.

The Vice-Premier conducted a productive meeting with the Administrator of the National Energy Administration of the People's Republic of China, Wang Hongzhi, as well as the top management of China's leading industrial and energy conglomerates, including China Southern Power Grid, Sinoma Energy Conservation, China Datang, China Energy Engineering Corporation (CEEC), and CNNC. The central focus of the discussions was deepening the strategic partnership in high technology, green energy, infrastructure modernization, and geology.

The People's Republic of China firmly maintains its status as one of Uzbekistan's primary trade, economic, and investment partners. Economic indicators announced during the meetings clearly demonstrate the unprecedented momentum in the alignment between the two nations.

By the end of last year, bilateral trade turnover approached the $18 billion mark, showing a growth of more than 30%. The trade boom has continued this year, with mutual delivery volumes jumping an additional 45% in the opening months to exceed $600 million. The total portfolio of joint Uzbek-Chinese projects has reached a massive $56 billion, of which approximately $8 billion in direct investments from China has been successfully absorbed since the beginning of this year alone.

The reform of the energy sector occupied a central place in the negotiations. In partnership with Chinese businesses, 15 major energy facilities with a total capacity of 3.2 GW and a combined value of $2.7 billion have already been successfully commissioned in Uzbekistan. The parties intend to implement another 11 large-scale specialized projects by 2030.

During this round of TMIF-2026, the partners reviewed the progress of ongoing initiatives in detail, including the launch of industrial battery energy storage systems (BESS), the construction of new solar and wind power plants, and the expansion of generation capacities in the Bukhara, Navoi, Tashkent, and Samarkand regions. Projects in deep geological exploration, uranium mining, the creation of green data centers, and the modernization of water supply and wastewater treatment systems were also highlighted as promising agenda items.

Following the meetings, the sides agreed to transition to detailed, targeted development of proposals with each corporation to shape a new portfolio of agreements.