As an important neighbor of China, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev's recent visit to China has attracted widespread attention. The day before his visit, the Ukrainian president signed a large order of more than $40 million with the Chinese side, which can be regarded as a "meeting gift" to the Chinese side.
President of Uzbekistan Mirziyoyev
Recently, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev officially set off for a visit to China. Prior to this, he stressed on many occasions that now is the best period for Sino-Ukrainian relations, and that developing relations with China in an all-round way is also one of the main priorities of Uzbekistan's foreign policy. Therefore, for this visit, Mirziyoyev can be said to be quite looking forward to it.
It is worth mentioning that just one day before the Ukrainian president's visit to China, the Chinese and Ukrainian delegations signed a large order of more than $40 million. Recently, the local government of Xinjiang and the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan jointly sponsored the China-Uzbekistan local enterprise matchmaking meeting in Urumqi.
The event, hosted by the Xinjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade, attracted the participation of thousands of representatives of Chinese and Ukrainian enterprises, and the two companies focused on discussing cooperation opportunities in various fields such as agriculture, textiles, trade and logistics, energy and finance.
At the meeting, the Xinjiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade signed a memorandum of cooperation with relevant enterprises and departments in Uzbekistan. 18 Chinese companies have reached 18 signed contracts with the Ukrainian side, with a total contract amount of 44.67 million US dollars. The popularity of this event undoubtedly reflects the vitality and potential of business cooperation between China and Ukraine.
During the meeting, representatives of Chinese and Ukrainian enterprises conducted extensive and in-depth project exchanges, and the atmosphere was quite warm. Among them, a representative from Uzbekistan Construction Technology Services Co., Ltd. signed a $2 million cooperation agreement with a Xinjiang company. The number of agreements signed by other enterprises is even more numerous, which has greatly broadened the space for cooperation between China and Ukraine in the field of production capacity and economy and trade. This event, which finalized an order of 44.67 million US dollars between Chinese and Ukrainian enterprises in one day, undoubtedly set a positive tone for the Ukrainian president's trip to China.
The meeting between Chinese and Ukrainian local enterprises was held
As for the Ukrainian president's visit to China, both China and Ukraine attach great importance to it. In response to the visit of the President of Ukraine, the Chinese side arranged talks between the two heads of state. Before arriving in China, Mirziyoyev also published an article praising China's economic development model and putting forward a number of key points for strengthening relations between China and Ukraine, especially mentioning the great changes brought by the "Belt and Road" initiative to Ukraine.
He also said that China and Ukraine should take a long-term view of the development of the two countries in the coming decades, so that longer-term development projects and plans can be formulated. Mirziyoyev's remarks also further reflect the Ukrainian side's expectations and strategic direction for the relations between the two countries.
Since Mirziyoyev came to power, Ukraine's foreign policy has shown a more open and positive trend. To a large extent, he pursued policies aimed at strengthening Ukraine's relations with other countries, especially China, an important economic partner. Therefore, after he came to power, the relations between China and Ukraine became closer, and high-level visits between high-level people became more frequent.
His visit to China marks the further deepening of Sino-Ukrainian relations. Within such a framework of cooperation, the two sides may announce new cooperation agreements that will strengthen the ties between the two countries in the areas of economy, trade, culture and security. This will not only help to diversify the Uzbek economy, but also provide new market opportunities for Chinese companies.
People visit the Ulughgh Beg Observatory in Samarkand, Uzbekistan
At the same time, for Uzbekistan, the visit is also an opportunity to project its image as an important Central Asian country and actively participate in international affairs, which is of far-reaching strategic significance. During the dialogue with the Ukrainian side, the Chinese high-level also said that China and Ukraine should start the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway project as soon as possible, simultaneously promote "hard connectivity" and "soft connectivity", and help Uganda transform from a "land-locked country" to a "land-linked country". The railway, which will cost about $4.5 billion, will cover about 4 billion people once completed.
As a matter of fact, the reason why Sino-Ukrainian relations are so close is inseparable from the cooperation between the two countries. First of all, in the field of economy and trade, the trade volume between China and Ukraine in 2022 will reach nearly 10 billion US dollars. And the trade cooperation between China and Ukraine is not limited to the traditional exchange of goods. As Uzbekistan's economy diversifies, the structure of trade between the two sides is changing.
For example, agricultural products and textiles account for an important proportion of Uzbekistan's exports to China, while China exports machinery and equipment, electronics and consumer goods to Uzbekistan. In addition, cooperation between the two countries in the field of trade in services and e-commerce is also increasing.
At the same time, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China has participated in the construction of a number of landmark infrastructure projects in Ukraine. For example, the Anglian Tunnel, which is the longest railway tunnel in Uzbekistan, is of great significance for improving the efficiency of the country's railway network.
The builders of China Railway Tunnel Group celebrate the breakthrough of the Anglian Tunnel
Second, representative projects of Sino-Ukrainian cooperation in the field of energy, such as the construction of natural gas pipelines, have an important impact on Uzbekistan's energy exports and regional energy security. At the same time, the two sides have also cooperated in the field of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. In addition, China and Ukraine have also maintained a certain degree of cooperation in the military and security fields, including arms sales, military-technical exchanges, and joint military exercises.
In general, the cooperation between China and Ukraine is all-round, and these cooperation are of great significance for promoting the common development of the two sides and the deepening of relations between the two countries.
It can be expected that after the visit of the Ukrainian president to China, the cooperation between the two countries in the field of investment will also be further deepened. The recent corporate investment matchmaking meeting reached by the two sides is the best example. At the same time, China also has a wide range of cooperation intentions for the entire Central Asian region.
At the China-Ukraine matchmaking meeting, calligraphy enthusiasts gave words to the Ukrainian side
For a long time, China has made great efforts to promote economic integration in Central Asia. Whether it is Turkmenistan's natural gas pipeline or the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which is of great significance, they are all part of China's overall promotion of economic development in Central Asia. After the visit of the President of Ukraine to China, the deepening of cooperation between China and Ukraine in investment and other fields will also have a positive impact on the economic development and regional stability of the entire Central Asian region.
All in all, the enthusiastic visit of the President of Ukraine to China is the best testimony to the friendly relations between China and Ukraine. The mutual investment of the two companies has made this rare friendship more stable development. It can be expected that with the joint maintenance and friendly cooperation between China and Ukraine, the relations between the two countries will be more stable and will move to new heights step by step.