25.01.2022

On January 25, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part at a meeting between the leaders of Central Asian states and China via videoconferencing on the initiative of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping held on the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations.

The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon and the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov also participated at the event.

The leaders of the countries have summed up the outcomes of 30 years of cooperation between the Central Asian states and China, exchanged views on the topical issues and priority areas of multifaceted cooperation for the future.

At the beginning of his speech, the President of Uzbekistan has congratulated the participants on the anniversary date and noted that the comprehensive strategic relations between Uzbekistan and China have become dynamic and stable in the meantime.

Talking about the priorities of cooperation, the President took the initiative to develop a strategy for a New Economic Dialogue «China - Central Asia» aimed at ensuring the unhindered trade and the formation of a common space of industrial cooperation and localization.

The President has also emphasized the importance of developing system solutions to ensure uninterrupted cargo flow and the development of trans-regional logistics networks along the China –Central Asian route. It is proposed to start the practical implementation of the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway construction project this year.

The President of Uzbekistan drew the attention of the summit participants to the need to join efforts in the wide implementation of digital technologies. It was proposed to create a joint platform for the «Intelligent Silk Road» on the basis of IT parks.

The cooperation in the healthcare and combating the infectious diseases was identified as an important area of cooperation. A readiness to continue the partnerships with China in the development, testing and production of vaccines was expressed. Uzbekistan also supports mutual recognition of vaccination passports, which would facilitate the movement of people and goods among our countries.

The President has focused on the poverty reduction, calling it as the key to the well-being of the population.

In this regard, Uzbekistan is interested in further cooperation with China on modernizing the agricultural sector, cultivating the crops on saline and salt-affected lands and establishing production chains between the urban and rural areas.

In addition, the President of Uzbekistan has called for a close cooperation and joint implementation of proactive measures to meet the rapidly growing needs for food of the population during the pandemic. It was proposed to jointly initiate a separate UN General Assembly resolution on food security in the context of the pandemic.

Along with this, the need to jointly promote the climate agenda as a part of the «Green Silk Road» construction was noted.

An initiative was put forward to develop a Roadmap to ensure «environmentally friendly development» aimed at intensifying the investment and technological cooperation in the field of alternative energy.

A particular attention was paid to further rapprochement between the peoples of Central Asia and China and expanding the cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

The President proposed to declare next year as the «Year of Culture and Art of the Peoples of Central Asia and China» with a focus on academic and student programs, youth forums and sports competitions.

The President of Uzbekistan has also addressed the issues of continuing cooperation in strengthening regional security. It was underscored the importance of coordinating the joint efforts in the Afghan direction for implementing the «Safe Silk Road» concept.

The President has concluded his speech by wishing the Chinese people a successful Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

A Joint Statement reflecting the common approaches to the key issues for further strengthening the multifaceted partnerships between the Central Asian states and China was adopted on the outcomes of the summit.