Bilateral trade grew by 35% in a year. China remains Uzbekistan's largest trading partner. And this is only the beginning.
On Wednesday evening, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit. Together with China's Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, he will co-chair the eighth session of the China-Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee.
The numbers speak for themselves. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, bilateral trade volume exceeded 4.1 billion US dollars, growing by more than 35% compared to the same period last year. China has been Uzbekistan's largest trading partner for years — and the trend is only accelerating.
But cooperation has long moved beyond simple trade. Renewable energy, smart agriculture, green mining, high technology, and healthcare — these are the areas where the full potential of the China-Uzbekistan partnership is unfolding today.
A special place belongs to the China — Kyrgyzstan — Uzbekistan railway. This flagship project is designed not just to connect countries, but to create an extensive transport network that will strengthen trade and economic ties across all of Central Asia.
Beyond economics, the two sides have stepped up cooperation in law enforcement and security. Coordination is also taking place on the international stage — within the China-Central Asia mechanism as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Aripov's visit to Beijing is yet another confirmation: relations between China and Uzbekistan are reaching an entirely new level.