As part of her visit to Beijing, Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, held meetings with senior Chinese leaders—Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Wang Yi, a Minister of Foreign Affairs, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.

At the meeting with Zhao Leji, the parties discussed further strengthening Uzbek-Chinese relations. Relations between China and Uzbekistan are good and improving, built on the personal chemistry between Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of the PRC Xi Jinping.

During her meetings, Mirziyoyeva placed particular emphasis on the practical implementation of joint initiatives in transport, trade, education, and culture, as China has turned into a major investment partner for the Central Asian country.

During the meeting with Wang Yi, she discussed a wide range of issues regarding the comprehensive strategic partnership that is being built up between Uzbekistan and China. Prospects for the further development of trade, economic, investment, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation were reviewed.

The nature of Uzbek-Chinese relations has been evolving steadily. Previously the focus was mainly on trade, investment, and large-scale infrastructure projects. But as IntelliNews reported, the country’s economy appears to have reached a critical mass and Uzbekistan is booming. Growing at around 6% a year for a decade, the pace of growth has recently accelerated and topped 7.7% this year. Partners like China are key for the republic as it seeks to deepen its economy, which has gone from being simply a large market to become an increasingly important strategic partner.

Mirziyoyeva discussed how to deepen this cooperation via mechanisms for inter-parliamentary contacts, foreign policy coordination, and humanitarian interaction.

The year 2026 will mark the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

“The meetings between the Head of the Administration of President of Uzbekistan and representatives of the PRC’s top political leadership confirm the high dynamics of the dialogue between Tashkent and Beijing,” Mirziyoyeva’s press office told IntelliNews. “It is also significant that the mutual trust established by the leaders of the two countries is being carried forward at the level of key state institutions. This not only makes it possible to maintain a stable political dialogue but also gives additional impetus to the practical implementation of the agreements reached.”