Chinese FM meets Uzbek acting president, FM on relations

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday met respectively with Uzbek acting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov on the development of relations between their countries.

Wang is on an official visit to Uzbekistan at the invitation of Kamilov, which is also his third visit to the central Asian country within the year.

During the meeting with Wang, Mirziyoyev expressed gratitude for China's firm support at the current key moment, which fully reflects the high degree of political mutual trust between Uzbekistan and China, and that Uzbekistan will continue to take the path of development meeting its fundamental interests.

Uzbekistan supports China in safeguarding its core interests and major concerns, and in cracking down on the three evil forces of terrorism, extremism and separatism.

He said Uzbekistan is willing to strengthen and develop the comprehensive strategic partnership with China by taking joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road as an opportunity.

At the meeting, Wang said Uzbekistan will enter a new stage of continuing with the past and opening up the future after holding the recent presidential election, and that China-Uzbekistan relationship will also enter a new period of time on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in the next year.

At this important historic moment, China is ready to fully implement the important consensus reached between the heads of state of the two countries at the 16th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent in June, and enhance mutual support and strategic alignment led by joint construction of the Belt and Road, to promote the China-Uzbekistan comprehensive strategic partnership toward the achievement of more successes in the new period of time, Wang said.

On the same day, Wang held a meeting with the Uzbek foreign minister. During the meeting, Wang said that his first stop in the city of Samarkand during the visit is intended to mourn late Uzbek President Islam Karimov in his home city, in commemoration of his historic contribution to the development of bilateral ties.

His visit to the country is meant to express China's confidence in Uzbekistan's future and relations between the two countries, Wang said, noting that China's friendly policy on Uzbekistan will never change.

He expressed the hope that the two sides will further tap potential in bilateral cooperation in production capacity, hydropower, tourism and other fields, and create new growth points, to inject fresh ideas and momentum into their ties.

Kamilov said Uzbekistan will carry forward the late president's political legacy to strengthen and develop the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, maintain all-level political exchanges and promote pragmatic cooperation in various fields.

Uzbekistan will firmly support China in combatting the three evil forces and enhance bilateral coordination and cooperation within the framework of the SCO, to jointly safeguard regional peace and security, he said.

The two foreign ministers held a joint press conference after the meeting.

Wang will proceed to Turkey to attend the first meeting of the foreign ministers' consultation mechanism between China and Turkey at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Endi