Uzbekistan-China relations experiencing "best period in history": Uzbek president

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan-China relations are experiencing a historic high, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has said in an article ahead of his state visit to China, scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday.

"Every time I visit China, I sincerely admire the scale of the reforms taking place here, the accomplishments, creative strength, diligence, and talent of the Chinese people, who are confidently pursuing the path of modernization to realize their centuries-old dream," Mirziyoyev wrote in the article published in the People's Daily on Monday.

He is impressed by China's role on the global stage. "Today, China holds leading positions in world politics and governance as a responsible participant in key international processes," he said in the article.

"President Xi Jinping's global initiatives in development, security, and inter-civilizational dialogue are significantly contributing to addressing common global challenges and accelerating the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive future," he said.

China "takes a big part to support the economic growth of developing countries by expanding trade and investment cooperation, as well as implementing infrastructure connectivity projects," read the article.

The Uzbek president said that "Uzbekistan, as a friendly neighbor and comprehensive strategic partner of China, is sincerely pleased with the successes," adding that "the development of multifaceted relations with China has been, and remains one of the main priorities of Uzbekistan's foreign policy."

"Over the past three decades, thanks to the trustful dialogue at the top-level, and regular summits of the heads of state, the interaction between our two countries has been expanding even more, reaching new historical heights," Mirziyoyev said.

In the article, he made a five-point proposal to "develop a new long-term agenda and forward-looking programs for the implementation of the key tasks of multidimensional cooperation for decades to come."

Calling for strengthening global inter-civilizational dialogue, Mirziyoyev said "nothing should prevent its development, the creation of the necessary conditions for strengthening peace and stability and seeking mutually acceptable compromises on the most pressing issues."

Meanwhile, he expressed interest in taking bilateral relations to "a qualitatively new and higher level."

"It is vital to maintain and build a dynamic pace of all-round trade and economic development, given the increasing range of new challenges to sustainable development such as the worsening energy, food, and environmental crises," said the president.

Mirziyoyev also called for "joint work to ensure the development of transport and logistics infrastructure" as part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"The importance of the role of people-to-people diplomacy in strengthening Uzbek-Chinese friendship is now becoming more evident," he said.