As a result, Central Asia will become the region at crossroads of trans-regional transport
routes in Eurasia.
International Conference "OBOR"
On May 14, 2018, an international conference devoted to the joint implementation of the
“One Belt, One Road” initiative was held with the participation of representatives of academia
and the media of Uzbekistan and China. During the event, the sides exchanged views on the
topical issues of bilateral cooperation, promising areas of mutually beneficial partnership within
the framework of “OBOR”. In addition, the sides discussed issues of active involvement of
representatives of the scientific and expert community to promote the project of China.
Chinese experts confirmed that Beijing considers Uzbekistan to be a key partner in Central
Asia and intends to increase close cooperation with it in all areas of mutual interest. The high
level of political trust and mutual understanding, stable growth of economic cooperation between
the two countries indicate the firm intention of Tashkent and Beijing to develop constructive
relations in the long term.
According to Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Uzbekistan
Jiang Yan, in recent years, mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Uzbekistan has
been developing dynamically and is reaching a qualitatively new level. Uzbekistan is an important
node in the ancient Silk Road and one of the first countries to support the initiative and
participate in it. In this regard, Beijing considers Tashkent to be one of the most important
partners in the “OBOR” framework.
In turn, Zhao Long, an expert at the Center for the Study of Russia and Central Asian
countries of the Shanghai Academy of International Studies, noted that the strategic partnership
of Uzbekistan and China creates favorable conditions for the implementation of the “One Belt,
One Road” project. It is important for the further expansion of economic cooperation, creation of
facilities for trade and investment, development of transport and communication infrastructure,
strengthening cooperation in agriculture, tourism, education and culture. 3
“The Great Silk Road was an important tool not only for the development of trade, but also
for the cultural convergence of regions,” said Thomas Chan, director of the “One Belt, One Road”
Research Institute at Chukhai College (Hong Kong). “Within the framework of the project we plan
to strengthen cooperation with Uzbekistan in the fields of education and tourism.” Against this
background, the active interaction between Tashkent and Beijing within the framework of this
initiative provides the parties with an opportunity to uncover the untapped potential for
cooperation. In particular, at present, with the participation of Chinese companies, large joint
projects are being implemented in Uzbekistan, such as the SIZ “Dzhizak”, the gas pipeline
“China-Uzbekistan”, the railway tunnel “Angren-Pap”, etc. were built. Chinese companies like
Huawei and ZTE are actively involved in the field of information and communication technologies,
Pensheng is actively involved in the production of building materials and high-tech products.
An important place in bilateral relations is given to trade, economic and investment
interaction. It is gratifying to note that steady growth has been observed in bilateral trade. In
2017, this figure reached 5 billion dollars, and the countries set a goal to increase trade turnover
by 2020 to 10 billion dollars. In Uzbekistan more than 700 Chinese enterprises operate, and
over the past years, Chinese investors have invested 7.8 billion dollars in Uzbekistan’s economy.
During the conference, it was stated that Uzbekistan is ready to discuss specific proposals
of the Chinese side on the implementation of the development of transport infrastructure.
Specifically, the construction of the railway “China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan” was of particular
interest, the implementation of which will allow to complete the formation of a unified railway
system throughout the republic, which will be the most important link in the China-Central Asia-
Europe international transit corridor. In this context, Chinese experts noted that due to its
strategic location in the center of the region, with a politically stable climate and a dynamically
Speech of Zhao Long, an expert of the Center for the Study of Russia and Central Asian countries of the Shanghai Academy of International
Studies, at the international conference “Uzbekistan and China: prospects for the joint implementation of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.
May 14, 2018, Tashkent.
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