Chinese premier arrives in Uzbekistan for official visit

TASHKENT - Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in Tashkent on Saturday for an official visit to Uzbekistan at the invitation of Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.

The traditional friendship between China and Uzbekistan has a long history, Li said, noting that the two countries are good friends, good partners and good brothers.

Over the past 34 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Uzbekistan have always respected each other and treated each other as equals, regardless of changes in the international landscape, Li said. Bilateral relations and cooperation have continued to move forward, with new vitality and dynamism, he added.

In recent years in particular, with the joint efforts of both sides, political mutual trust between China and Uzbekistan has become more solid, friendship has taken deep root in the hearts of the people, and practical cooperation has achieved fruitful results, delivering tangible benefits to the two peoples, said the premier.

Li noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met in Bishkek not long ago and reached important consensus on further deepening bilateral relations.

China is ready to work with Uzbekistan to translate the consensus reached by the two heads of state into more tangible outcomes, and deepen and strengthen the building of the China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future, Li added.

On Li's arrival, the Uzbek prime minister and other senior government officials greeted him at the airport and held a welcome ceremony in his honor.