China is standing firm on its commitment to multilateralism and is eager to join forces with like-minded nations to defend fairness and justice. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized this during his meeting with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on Friday in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The two diplomats gathered for the Sixth China-Central Asia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, aiming to strengthen ties and cooperation in the region.
Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, expressed China’s stance against protectionism and trade wars. He criticized certain countries for engaging in what he called “bullying tactics” and “coercive deals” under the pretext of national interest, which he believes undermines their credibility.
“China firmly stands on the right side of history and international rules,” Wang said, highlighting China’s commitment to preventing a world dominated by the “law of the strong.”
The foreign minister noted that the relationship between China and Uzbekistan has reached a new height, becoming an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership. China is ready to work closely with Uzbekistan to accelerate cooperation in key areas, including the early completion of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.
Wang also mentioned the potential for expanding cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, digital trade, and climate change, aiming to create a more impressive “report card” of achievements. “This will help both sides advance their modernization processes and accelerate their development and revitalization,” he added.
China is committed to its neighborhood diplomacy policy of fostering amity, ensuring stability, promoting prosperity, and practicing sincerity, mutual benefit, inclusiveness, and good neighborliness. Wang stressed that China is ready to work with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries to build a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov affirmed his country’s strong friendship with China and its firm adherence to the one-China principle. He expressed Uzbekistan’s support for China’s major global initiatives and welcomed the principles established by China’s conference on neighborhood diplomacy.
“Uzbekistan firmly supports WTO rules and is ready to strengthen coordination with China to jointly tackle challenges, uphold multilateralism, and contribute to global stability,” Saidov noted.
The two sides also discussed strengthening cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Saidov expressed confidence that the upcoming Tianjin Summit, under China’s chairmanship, will be a complete success and will inject strong new momentum into the SCO’s development.
