ALMATY -- Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov here on Friday.

Wang stated that, under the attention and promotion of President Xi Jinping and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, China-Uzbekistan relations have been elevated to a new height as an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, demonstrating broader development prospects. Strategic mutual trust between the two countries continues to deepen, and mutually beneficial cooperation across all sectors has made positive progress. The growth of bilateral trade and investment is encouraging, major projects have been launched, the agreement on mutual visa exemption is being advanced, and Uzbekistan's Year of Tourism in China has been successfully inaugurated.

China is willing to work together with Uzbekistan to accelerate cooperation in key areas, promote the early completion and operation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, expand cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, digital trade, and climate change, and create an even more impressive "report card" of achievements. This will help both sides advance their modernization processes and accelerate their development and revitalization.

China, in line with the goals and tasks set by the recent Central Conference on Work Related to Foreign Affairs with Neighboring Countries, will adhere to the neighborhood diplomacy policy of fostering amity, ensuring stability, promoting prosperity, and practicing sincerity, mutual benefit, inclusiveness, and good neighborliness. China is ready to work with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries to consolidate strategic mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation, and build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

Saidov noted that, under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, China has achieved remarkable development accomplishments in the new era, fully reflecting the profound heritage of Chinese civilization, which Uzbekistan greatly admires. Thanks to the strategic foresight of the two heads of state, Uzbekistan-China relations have been elevated to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, pointing the way forward for practical cooperation across various sectors. Uzbekistan deeply cherishes its brotherly friendship with China, firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and will continue to resolutely support each other, serving as reliable partners for one another.

Saidov further stated that, in the context of profound changes in the current international landscape, the strategic significance of the China-Central Asia mechanism has become increasingly prominent. China has demonstrated its sense of responsibility as a major power by honoring its commitments in international affairs. Uzbekistan supports the series of major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping and welcomes the principles established by China's conference on neighborhood diplomacy. Uzbekistan firmly supports WTO rules and is ready to strengthen coordination with China to jointly tackle challenges, uphold multilateralism, and contribute to global stability.

Wang elaborated on China's principled position on tariff issues, emphasizing that certain countries, in the name of prioritizing their own interests, are engaging in bullying tactics and coercive deals, unreasonably provoking trade wars. Such extreme self-serving behavior has laid bare their true nature and will only further undermine their own credibility. China firmly stands on the right side of history and international rules, and is willing to work in solidarity with like-minded countries to jointly safeguard multilateralism, defend fairness and justice, oppose protectionism, and resolutely prevent the world from reverting to a jungle ruled by the law of the strong.

The two sides also exchanged views on strengthening cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Saidov expressed Uzbekistan's full support for China in fulfilling its responsibilities as the chair country and expressed confidence that the Tianjin Summit will be a complete success, injecting strong new momentum into the SCO's development.