COOPERATION FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF PEACE

As reported earlier, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov visited Beijing September 2-3 at the invitation of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping.

On the second day of the visit, on September 3, the head of our state took part in celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in World War II.

The Chinese people, despite the political, social and economic difficulties of those years, fought heroically and made an enormous contribution to the success in the Second World War.

The military parade, organized at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and dedicated to the 70th anniversary of this significant date, has a universal significance for the entire humanity. It was attended by the heads of state and government from almost thirty nations, along with chiefs of international organizations such as the UN, SCO and others.

The parade has become a peculiar way of paying tribute to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of peoples. It also serves for the development of cooperation in order to cement peace and security in the world.

President Islam Karimov’s participation in the official celebrations in Beijing has been indicative of our country’s aspiration for peace and security throughout the planet and for the enhancement of friendship and cooperation between the peoples of Uzbekistan and China.

Within the framework of the current visit, President Islam Karimov met with President Xi Jinping.

The strategic partnership between our two nations has been consolidating consistently. Rather dynamic has been the bilateral cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, trade, manufacturing industry, finances, construction sector, science, education and culture.

China is one of Uzbekistan’s major trade and investment partners. The volume of mutual trade has been steadily increasing. In particular, the turnover reached 4.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2014. In the first half of this year, the growth on this front amounted to 11.7%.

There are 582 enterprises in Uzbekistan, which were set up in cooperation with Chinese businesses, while more than 80 of them are established for solely Chinese investments. In excess of 70 companies from the PRC have their representative offices working in Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek-Chinese joint high-tech industrial park – the Jizzakh special industrial zone, set up in 2013, produces mobile phones, sewing machines, building materials, solar collectors and other goods in high demand.

The Angren-Pap railroad, currently under construction by Uzbekiston Temir Yullari (Uzbekistan Railways) Stock Company in cooperation with China Railway Tunnel Group, is expected to become an important link for the shortest rail route between our two countries. It is anticipated to facilitate further expansion of trade and economic interaction between the two nations.

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is actively involved in the exploration and development of hydrocarbon fields in our country. Joint efforts are in progress to bolster the capacity of the Central Asia – China gas pipeline, secure systematic supply of natural gas to the PRC, deep reprocessing of natural gas at the Mubarek Gas Chemical Complex in Uzbekistan.

Production of tires for cars, agricultural machinery, as well as conveyor belts is being established in Angren, Tashkent region, together with China’s PoliTechnology.

The friendship societies Uzbekistan-China and the PRC-Central Asia serve as important mechanisms in strengthening the bilateral relations.

Interaction between the scientific-technical agencies of the two countries, exchange of students and cooperation between higher education institutions has been steadfast. The Uzbek language is keenly studied in China, while the same is true vice-versa. Reciprocal days of cinema, art exhibitions, festivals and other cultural events are organized regularly in our two countries.

In the course of the summit talks in Beijing, the parties discussed in detail the current state of bilateral relations and prospects for their further extension. They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared interest.

President Islam Karimov met September 3 with Prime Minister of the State Council of China Li Keqiang.

It was noted during the talks that the current visit would contribute to the enhancement of cooperation between our two nations and the consolidation of strategic partnership.

The two sides exchanged views on the implementation of agreements reached at the highest level, comprehensive advancement of interaction in trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian spheres.

Thus the visit of the head of our state to China was complete. Reverence to the memory of victims of World War II, manifested by Uzbekistan’s President, has become an expression of the noblest sentiments, while the fruitful and constructive negotiations with the leaders of China proved to be an important event for the benefit of our two peoples.

WWW.UZA.UZ