14 September 2022

“The land is fertile and crops thriving. Trees flourish, and flowers and fruits abound. A place home to steeds.” This is how Huen Tsang, an eminent Chinese monk in the Tang Dynasty over 1,300 years ago, depicted Samarkand.

In this lovely mid-autumn month, a season of harvest, I will once again visit the beautiful city of Samarkand at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to discuss with him plans for closer cooperation between China and Uzbekistan, and to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO) Summit.

Several historical figures from China visited Uzbekistan, including Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD), Huen Tsang of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Chen Cheng of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), leaving their footprints in famous cities like Tashkent, Samarkand and Navoi.

During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Sayyid Ajall Shams al-Din, a statesman from Bukhara, served as the governor of Yunnan province in China. In the mid-14th century, Wu Ru, an authority on astronomy from Samarkand, participated in the construction of an observatory in Nanjing. These people were pioneers in the China-Uzbekistan friendship between the two countries.

China is the biggest trading partner and a major investor for Uzbekistan. Two-way trade exceeded US$8 billion in 2021. All four lines of the China-Central Asia natural gas pipeline run through Uzbekistan. More transport potential is being unleashed from the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway and the China-Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan railway. Uzbekistan is thus transforming from a land-locked to a land-linked country.

China has trained for Uzbekistan over 6,500 professionals of various fields. Uzbeks are learning the Chinese language and they have become envoys of friendship between our two countries. The preservation and restoration of historical sites in Khiva, a project launched during my visit to Samarkand in 2013, has been successfully concluded, further augmenting the charm of this ancient city.

During my visit to Uzbekistan this time, I will attend the SCO Samarkand Summit. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation of the Member States of the SCO.

We are a good example of dialogue between civilizations over 2,000 years enhancing China-Uzbekistan cooperation on all fronts. As the saying goes, “when your heart knows its direction, the distance to destination will never be long.”

#Note: A signed article by Xi Jinping was published Tuesday in Uzbek media ahead of his state visit to Uzbekistan. Please read full text link in comment.