Shukhrat Umirov, Press -attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in China

In the past, the Great Silk Road was of great importance in relations between different countries and people, promoting the development of trade relations in the vast expanse of Eurasia. Moreover, there was an exchange of information, spread new products and crops through the Great Silk Road, there was mutual enrichment of different cultures and civilizations.

The territory of modern Uzbekistan, its ancient cities such as Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva were in the heart of the Great Silk road, acting as a bridge between the regions of Asia and Europe. Today, centuries later, the Belt and Road initiated by Chinese President XI Jinping is designed to revive this ancient silk road, contributing to the deepening of cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, transport communications and energy, infrastructure development and tourism.

Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, bilateral cooperation under the framework of the "Belt and Road" initiative has been developing actively in recent years.

By the end of 2018, the trade turnover between our countries reached 6.4 billion dollars, increasing by 35%.

Last year, during the SCO summit in Qingdao, 46 investment projects worth $ 6.86 billion were signed. Moreover, in 2018, the direct investment of Chinese companies in Uzbekistan exceeded $ 500 million.

The basic principles of the Belt and Road initiative have very important conceptual significance, which also determines the success and efficiency of the projects implemented under this initiative. This is also proved by the results that China has achieved over the past five years.

It is impossible to achieve such great results without "mutual consultation" and without considering the interests of all parties involved in the implementation of "Belt and Road" project. Naturally, these countries can only become long-term cooperative partners with common goals and tasks if they consult together and take into account the interests of all parties.

It should be noted that the strategies of actions in five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 2017 to 2021 have a lot of common with the Belt and Road.

I would like to emphasize that today the relations between the Republic of Uzbekistan and the People's Republic of China have reached such a high level of comprehensive strategic partnership. There are several contributing factors.

First, an open and trusting personal relationship has been developed between the two leaders. This is also a guarantee for further consolidation of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in the future.

Second, Uzbekistan and China are neighbors linked by centuries of friendship and cooperation forged over thousands of years. Uzbekistan and China are now close strategic partners of cooperation. On the basis of the principle of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit, Uzbekistan and China have resolutely deepened the multi-dimensional and long-term cooperative relations in an all-round way.

Third, Uzbekistan and China have been actively cooperating under the SCO and the Belt and Road framework. Uzbekistan, a country on the great Silk Road in history, is an important partner of China under the framework of the Belt and Road

Fourth, Uzbekistan and China share similar and consistent positions and approaches to resolving regional and international issues. Uzbekistan and China support each other on key security issues, especially in central Asia.

Such high-level bilateral relations have laid a solid foundation for deepening bilateral cooperation in various fields, not only in the political and economic, but also in the people and culture exchange.

In short, Uzbekistan and China have long-term and mutual interest in each other. This, no doubt, is an important guarantee for the successful cooperation between the two countries under the framework of the Belt and Road.

It is believed that the implementation of this large-scale project, which now involves 60% of the world population, will promote the formation of a unified zone of peace, tranquility and prosperity, and strengthen the cooperation and friendship between countries and people.