China affirms higher-level bilateral ties with Uzbekistan

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday that China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to prepare for the next stage of high-level exchanges, aiming to promote their relationship to achieve higher-quality and higher-level development, during talks with Uzbekistan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov in Tianjin.

Saidov had attended the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO Member States on Tuesday, where member states agreed to hold the SCO Summit in Tianjin from Aug 31 to Sep 1.

During the meeting on Wednesday, Wang expressed China's willingness to collaborate with Uzbekistan and other member states to ensure the success of the summit and inject fresh momentum into the organization's future growth.

China regards Uzbekistan as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy, Wang noted, reiterating Beijing's support for Uzbekistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty, security, and development interests.

He also called for accelerating cooperation in key areas, promoting the early opening of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and generating more fruitful cooperation between the two countries.

Saidov spoke positively of the outcomes of the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO Member States, saying that Uzbekistan will fully support China in hosting a successful Tianjin summit.

Uzbekistan is also ready to expand cooperation with China in fields such as logistics, mineral resources, artificial intelligence, green transformation, and desertification control, Saidov said.

He also emphasized the importance of closer coordination on regional and international affairs to safeguard common interests and elevate bilateral relations to new heights.