AKIPRESS.COM - President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of China Xi Jinping held negotiations in Astana on July 3, UzA reported.

The President of Uzbekistan expressed gratitude to the President of China for his support for reforms in Uzbekistan and for his attention to strengthening friendly relations and a comprehensive strategic partnership between Uzbekistan and China.

The leaders stated that a decisive breakthrough has been made in all areas of bilateral interaction in recent years.

The consistent implementation of the agreements reached during the state visit of the President of Uzbekistan to China in January this year was noted with satisfaction.

The second meeting of the Strategic Dialogue of Foreign Ministers is planned to be held in Tashkent by the end of this year. A high-ranking Chinese parliamentary delegation is expected to visit Uzbekistan soon.

Trade turnover reached $14 billion last year. Opportunities were noted to increase this figure to $20 billion in the near future.

The current portfolio of investment projects exceeds $50 billion. More than $3 billion of Chinese investments have been attracted to Uzbekistan, and over 500 new joint ventures have been created since the beginning of this year.

An agreement was reached to accelerate the adoption of strategic cooperation programs in infrastructure, industrial cooperation, agriculture, and green energy.

The recent launch of the Uzbekistan – China Technology Park and the first in our region production of electric vehicles "BYD" in Jizzakh region were noted with satisfaction.

The President of Uzbekistan noted the support of the President of China in matters of practical interaction in poverty alleviation. A long-term program to exchange experience in this important area was proposed.

The importance of starting practical work early on the construction of the China – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan railway, which is strategic for strengthening transport connectivity and the region's development within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, was emphasized.

The need to build partnerships in tourism, science, education, personnel training, and the study of the Chinese language was noted.

The Forum of Confucius Institutes in Central Asia will be held in Tashkent these days. Plans have been outlined to open branches of Chinese universities in Uzbekistan and widely introduce the Chinese system of vocational education – "Lu Ban Workshop". It was proposed to hold the Second Educational Forum next year.

The President of Uzbekistan invited the President of China to visit the country following the talks.