Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Today a conference was held in Tashkent on the topic “Comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Uzbekistan in a new era.”

The event, organized in preparation for important bilateral events expected this year, was attended by representatives of political and diplomatic circles and leading think tanks from China and Uzbekistan.

In his address to the conference participants, Eldor Aripov, director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan (ISMI), outlined the priority areas of cooperation between Uzbekistan and China.

First, he emphasized, is the further strengthening of the bilateral strategic dialogue. This means strengthening interaction within regional and global structures to promote common positions and interests on the most pressing issues on the international agenda.

According to him, this step can play an important role in creating favorable external conditions for the sustainable development of our countries.

Secondly, the expert noted, there is an objective need for further development of trade, economic and investment interaction through the formation of a new economic dialogue and strengthening interconnectedness.

The expert is convinced that this can be achieved by strengthening industrial cooperation, balanced growth of mutual supplies of industrial goods and agricultural products, and building an effective trade and logistics infrastructure.

In this regard, interest was expressed in attracting Chinese investment in high-tech sectors of the economy for the production of products with high added value and their sale in the markets of third countries.

Thirdly, according to Aripov, an important area is the development of modern transport and logistics communications, promoting the openness of countries’ economies to world markets, and their connections with centers of economic activity.

For this, the expert emphasized that it is necessary to develop existing and open new transport corridors, including the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway and railway, the Trans-Afghan corridor, which is especially important in the context of the practical implementation of the Belt and Road initiative.

And finally, the ISMI representative believes that a balanced and consistent transition to “green energy” remains the most important priority.

An important role in this regard, he believes, can be played by attracting China’s rich experience and investment for the development of renewable energy sources, the introduction of modern resource-saving and environmentally friendly technologies in areas such as agriculture and the green economy.

- There is already a good foundation for this. Last year, in Bukhara and Kashkadarya regions, a Chinese company completed the construction of the first stage of two solar stations with a total capacity of 1000 megawatts in record time,” concluded Eldor Aripov.

At the conference organized by the Institute of Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in partnership with the Institute for Social Development of Europe and Asia of the Development Research Center under the State Council of the People’s Republic of China (ISREA), an exchange of views took place on a wide range of issues of the current state and future prospects for bilateral cooperation in in the sphere of politics, security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian interaction.

ISREA is a leading research institute in China aimed at analyzing and studying the political, economic, and social development of countries in the Eurasian region. It was created in 1989. It provides the leadership of the PRC with information, consultations and political recommendations to promote the development of friendly relations between China and the countries of the Eurasian space.