Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- In accordance with the program of the state visit, on 24 January, negotiations between the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping were held in Beijing with the participation of members of official delegations.

At the beginning of the meeting, the President of our country expressed sincere gratitude to the leader of China for the invitation and the warm welcome provided, as well as high assessments of the reforms in New Uzbekistan.

The heads of state noted that over the past years a powerful breakthrough has been made in bilateral relations.

The growing dynamics of contacts at all levels, the strengthening of political dialogue and mutual support on key issues were noted with particular satisfaction.

Last November, the first meeting of the Strategic Dialogue of Foreign Ministers took place in Beijing. Interparliamentary cooperation has intensified.

The President of our country thanked the President of the People’s Republic of China for his personal attention and support to issues of cooperation in the fight against poverty.

The parties welcomed the launch of a pilot project to introduce the Chinese vocational education system in Uzbekistan - the “Lu Ban Workshop”.

Trade, economic and investment cooperation is developing dynamically.

At the end of last year, trade turnover reached US$14 billion. A mutual opinion was expressed that there is every opportunity to increase trade turnover to US$20 billion in the near future.

In recent years, the volume of Chinese investment in the economy of Uzbekistan has increased fivefold, and the number of joint ventures has tripled.

An agreement was reached on the preparation and adoption of cooperation programs in the areas of infrastructure development, industrial cooperation, technology transfer in agriculture and green energy.

In this context, it was noted with satisfaction that at the end of last year, with the participation of Chinese companies, two new solar power plants with a capacity of 1000 megawatts were put into operation in Uzbekistan.

The current level of fruitful financial and technical cooperation with leading Chinese banks and the Silk Road Fund, as well as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, was highly appreciated.

The head of our state welcomed the agreements on expanding financial instruments to support investment projects, including the creation of a joint platform, as well as the decision of the Exim Bank of China to open a regional office for Central Asia in the city of Tashkent.

The President also called on Chinese partners to actively participate in the processes of privatization of state-owned enterprises and banks in Uzbekistan.

The leaders welcomed the intensification of interregional exchanges. To coordinate cooperation in this direction, we agreed to establish the Council of Regions of Uzbekistan and China.

The importance of the early start of practical work on the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, designed to become an important component of the Transcontinental Transport and Transit Bridge within the framework of the One Belt, One Road initiative, was emphasized.

The success of the first educational forum in Beijing and the exhibition of tourism opportunities of Uzbekistan in Shanghai was noted. The events taking place these days within the framework of the Days of Uzbek Culture aroused keen interest among residents and guests of the capital of China.

The need to intensify cooperation in the fields of education and tourism and continue the practice of holding mutual cultural days was pointed out.

It was proposed to hold the first joint Youth Innovation Forum.

For the practical implementation of all planned activities and initiatives put forward, the parties agreed to hold meetings of the Intergovernmental Committee and all subcommittees in the first half of this year.

There was also an exchange of views on current issues of the regional agenda and international politics.

The unwavering position on supporting the “one China” policy and combating the “three forces of evil” was confirmed.

At the end of the negotiations, the leader of Uzbekistan invited the head of the People’s Republic of China to visit our country, and also congratulated the friendly people of China on the upcoming Chinese New Year - the Chun Jie holiday.

The meeting took place in a traditionally confidential, open and friendly atmosphere.