Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 15 April, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sardor Umurzakov, using teleconferencing, discussed with the Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China Zhong Shan topical issues of developing mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as measures taken to prevent the impact of the pandemic on the economies of the two countries.

The Minister of Commerce of China, Mr. Zhong Shan, expressed sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Republic of Uzbekistan for the timely assistance rendered to Uzbekistan at the very peak of the spread of COVID-19 in China.

In turn, the Chinese side expressed its readiness to work out the issue of sending additional humanitarian aid to Uzbekistan in the form of necessary medical products, equipment, personal hygiene products to combat the pandemic, as well as provide comprehensive assistance in eliminating its consequences.

The Minister of Commerce of the PRC assured that the Chinese side will make every effort to successfully implement the joint initiatives of Uzbekistan and China on the development of bilateral cooperation in the trade, economic, transport and logistics spheres. The priority of joint work on attracting large Chinese companies to the implementation of investment projects in Uzbekistan, the development of electronic commerce and trade in services, as well as the revitalization of the Uzbek-Chinese intergovernmental committees and working groups was noted.

In the near future, special attention will be paid to increasing trade in the segment of agricultural and meat and dairy products, for which the initiative to create Uzbek-Chinese certification and phytosanitary control centers will be accelerated, the test results of which will be recognized by both countries. In this context, the issue of equipping phytosanitary laboratories in Andijan, Namangan and Tashkent regions was also worked out by attracting Chinese grants. These measures will significantly strengthen the position of Uzbek manufacturers in the Chinese market.

Also during the conversation, the commitment of both parties was confirmed to continue the implementation of investment projects planned for implementation in Uzbekistan through direct Chinese investment, totaling more than US$4 billion.

At the end of the negotiations, the parties agreed to continue close contacts between the two ministries and to maintain direct, constant interaction, which will bring bilateral relations to a qualitatively new level.