China, Uzbekistan upgrade ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - China’s President Xi Jinping on Wednesday held talks with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Beijing as the two countries upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Chinese state media reported.

"Both sides should take the opportunity of developing the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era to build a solid foundation for the China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future through high-level political mutual trust and advance the two countries' modernization undertakings through high-quality Belt and Road cooperation," Xi told Mirziyoyev, who is in Beijing on a three-day state visit to China, the CGTN broadcaster reported.

Xi said the two countries should make “good use of platforms such as the intergovernmental cooperation committee to strengthen strategic communication and comprehensively deepen strategic mutual trust.”

He said that Beijing is willing to expand cooperation with Uzbekistan across the new energy vehicle industry chain, and in major projects such as photovoltaics, wind power and hydropower.

Mirziyoyev, for his part, said that Uzbekistan is committed to the “one-China” principle.

The two leaders also witnessed the signing of a host of documents on the Belt and Road Initiative and Global Development Initiative and cooperation in areas such as economic technology, inter-connectivity, environmental protection, new energy, science and technology, humanities, agricultural product access and sub-national levels.