Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Today, on 5 November, the seventh China International Import Expo officially opened in Shanghai, accompanied by an international economic forum.

The event was attended by Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China; Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia; Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan; Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, Prime Minister of Mongolia; Milos Vucevic, Prime Minister of Serbia; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (via video link); Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD, via video link); as well as representatives from Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Tanzania, and other 182 countries and international organizations.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Abdulla Aripov, addressed the forum.

He emphasized that in recent years, the ties between Uzbekistan and China have strengthened, aided by the close, sincere, and friendly relations between Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Xi Jinping.

China is Uzbekistan’s largest trade and investment partner.

Last year, trade turnover reached US$14 billion, with indications that mutual interest could boost this volume to US$20 billion in the near future.

In recent years, direct investments from China to Uzbekistan have increased fivefold, and the number of joint ventures has tripled, with a portfolio of joint projects exceeding US$53 billion.

Successful joint projects with Chinese partners are being implemented in areas such as energy, chemical industry, machine engineering, textiles, building materials, household appliances, and agricultural products.

The forum also highlighted that thanks to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiatives, Uzbekistan is becoming more open, its investment potential is growing, and favorable conditions are being created for investors.

It was reported that over US$60 billion in foreign investments have been attracted to Uzbekistan in recent years, with more than US$14 billion from international financial institutions directed towards the development of social and infrastructure sectors.

Efforts are underway to increase the share of “green” energy to 40% by 2030.

Uzbekistan is keen on expanding ties with all countries across various sectors, including increasing trade volumes and developing cooperation in joint investment projects.

After the forum, the heads of delegations toured the exhibition, which features representatives from 73 countries.

Specifically, the "Made in Uzbekistan" pavilion showcases products in sectors such as industry, geology, electrical engineering, building materials, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, tourism, IT, light industry, agriculture, and food products.

The exhibition will run until 10 November 2024.