Xi congratulates new Uzbek president on election

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday congratulated Uzbekistan's incumbent Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev on his election as the Uzbek president.

In his congratulatory message, Xi said China and Uzbekistan are good neighbors, good friends and good partners with sincerity and mutual trust.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Uzbekistan in 1992, the development of bilateral ties has maintained a good momentum while mutual political trust, mutually beneficial cooperation and strategic coordination have proceeded smoothly, he said.

Xi also said that this year the two countries formally forged a comprehensive strategic partnership, which has opened up broad prospects for deepening all-round cooperation between China and Uzbekistan.

Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to bilateral relations between China and Uzbekistan and that he is willing to keep close contact with Mirziyoyev to push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership in a bid to inherit the past and usher in the future, and further benefit the two countries and the two peoples.

Earlier Monday, the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan announced that Mirziyoyev scored 88.61 percent of all votes in Sunday's presidential elections, becoming the country's new head of state after the death of late leader Islam Karimov in September. Endi