Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 21 June, the Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Laziz Kudratov, held talks with Cheng Huaiyu, Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of China (China Eximbank).

The parties discussed the current status of previously reached agreements and outlined prospects for expanding cooperation across several priority areas.

Particular attention was given to new initiatives, including projects in hydropower, sustainable development of the agricultural sector, and modernization of transport infrastructure. As noted during the meeting, these areas play a key role in ensuring sustainable socio-economic growth in Uzbekistan and offer additional opportunities for attracting external financing on favorable terms.

Since the beginning of their partnership in 2002, Uzbekistan has implemented 51 investment projects worth a total of US$3.2 billion with the participation of China Eximbank. These projects span a wide range of sectors, including the construction of modern infrastructure, development of green energy, transportation, agriculture and water management, education, healthcare, and other critical areas. Currently, two ongoing projects worth US$1.9 billion are under implementation, and another 13 projects totaling approximately US$2.2 billion are in the pipeline.

Following the talks, a new loan agreement was signed for US$500 million to finance projects in the telecommunications sector.

Minister Laziz Kudratov emphasized the importance of launching and implementing the project in a timely manner, expressing confidence that support from China Eximbank will help strengthen Uzbekistan’s position as a regional IT hub and provide a significant boost to the country’s digital economy development.