Ambassador talks China-Uzbekistan milestone

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Uzbekistan. Over the past 20 years, the relations between the two countries have gained healthy, rapid, comprehensive and profound development. Their cooperation made great achievements in all fields. Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Zhang Xiao gave an exclusive interview to China.org.cn on Jan. 2, 2012, and answered questions about the relationship between China and Uzbekistan and activities to be held to celebrate the 20-year milestone.

China.org.cn: Could you please comment on the China-Uzbekistan relationship and their cooperative achievements?

Zhang Xiao: On Jan. 2, 1992, China became one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Uzbekistan soon after Uzbekistan announced its independence. Over the past 20 years, with efforts by both countries' leaders and members of all social sectors, their relationship grew steadily and healthily. The two countries exchanged high-level visits, which continuously increased their mutual trust and effective security cooperation. They gradually expanded their scale of cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, transportation, communications, and energy, among others. Both firmly supported each other on high priority issues that could benefit the two countries and maintained close consultation and cooperation in the international community, such as at multilateral organs including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline that runs through Uzbekistan was put into operation at the end of 2009, and both sides have started building the first natural gas pipeline that will directly connects the two countries. A group of joint demonstrative projects was set up and put into operation: Kungrad Soda Plant, Dehkanabad Potash Fertilizer Plant and Pengsheng Industrial Park in Uzbekistan's Sirdaryo region – a joint venture of building materials. Bilateral trade volume grew almost 50 times from US$52.15 million in the early period of establishing the diplomatic relations to US$2.48 billion in 2011. By the end of 2010, China had 35 direct investment projects in Uzbekistan with a total investment of nearly US$4 billion. China has become the second biggest trading partner of Uzbekistan and its biggest investor as a country.

It is worth noting that President Hu Jintao visited Uzbekistan in June 2010, Uzbekistani President Islam Karimov visited China in April 2011, and parliamentary leaders from both countries exchanged visits in July and September 2011, which injected new impetus and strong energy to the development of bilateral relations. In October 2011, the China-Uzbekistan intergovernmental cooperation committee was established and convened for the first meeting. The committee is chaired by Chinese State Councilor Meng Jianzhu and Uzbekistani First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Rustam Azimov. It consists of six branch committees of economy and trade, energy, transportation, science and technology, security, as well as humanity and culture. The committee has become an important bilateral platform to plan and guide the China-Uzbekistan cooperation at a higher lever. We believe under such a mechanism, cooperation between the two countries will see greater success.

All in all, the China-Uzbekistan relationship has now entered its golden age. We believe that the two countries will take the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to continuously explore and deepen their cooperation in all fields, jointly push the bilateral ties to achieve better and faster development in the next 10 years and bring benefits to two nations and two peoples.

China.org.cn: How about the prospects of strategic cooperation in maintaining regional security, stability and development?

Zhang Xiao: Currently, the international and regional politics, economy and security landscapes are experiencing complicated and profound changes. Such activities as the "Three Forces" (terrorism, separatism and extremism), drug smuggling and multi-national organized crimes that harm the regional security and stability have become more rampant. Countries in the region are in their pivotal period of social and economic transition. The peace and stability in the surrounding area is of vital importance for the sustainable development of the economy and society as well as the long-term peace and order of a country. China and Uzbekistan are confronting together many new global and regional threats and challenges. The two sides maintain a high degree of unity in their strategic targets and tasks. Neither country is immune from these threats. China and Uzbekistan will continuously consolidate their mutual political trust and support each other on significant issues that benefit both sides, keep close cooperation in international and regional affairs, strengthen cooperation in law enforcement, deepen trade and investment cooperation and promote regional prosperity, stability and development.

China.org.cn: Could you please introduce the celebratory activities for the 20th anniversary and forecast the new year?

Zhang Xiao: The 20th anniversary is a symbolic historical event of the China-Uzbekistan relationship. It is both an important milestone and a new starting point. Both sides have started a series of celebratory activities. In mid-December, the Chinese side invited three Uzbekistani journalists to China for a 10-day visit. They conducted interviews and sent articles from China, giving detailed and in-depth reports on their visit and China's foreign policy of good neighborliness and friendly relations. In later December, our embassy in Uzbekistan held a 20th anniversary concert in Tashkent together with the Republican Uighur Cultural Center. Artists from both countries performed together to build a musical bridge and a heartfelt connection between the two peoples. The concert achieved great success. In the meantime, Uzbekistani children participated in the Beijing-sponsored painting exhibition. The Uzbekistani national television, major news agencies, mainstream newspapers and websites all broadcasted or published interviews with us, bringing in a new wave of China-Uzbekistan friendship exchanges.

With those as a starting point, celebratory activities including high-level visits, communications between artistic communities and academic institutions, exchanges among social organs and tourism culture promotion will gradually take place to further deepen the traditional friendship between two peoples and promote the bilateral relations to a new high.