On January 25, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in an online meeting of the heads of state of Central Asia and China, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.

During the summit, the leaders of the countries summed up the results of 30 years of mutual relations, discussed topical issues on the current agenda and outlined promising areas of multilateral cooperation.

The current meeting "Central Asia-China" was of a landmark nature, as it was held for the first time at the level of heads of state. Previously, such events were held with the participation of foreign ministers.

Speaking at the summit, the head of Uzbekistan focused on topical issues and priority areas of multifaceted cooperation between Central Asia and China. He paid special attention to the development of the transport and logistics sector, which is a driver for strengthening trade and economic ties between the Central Asian states and China.

It was noted that the coronavirus pandemic caused logistical disruptions in supplies, which led to a shortage of equipment and raw materials. In this regard, Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed to develop system solutions to ensure uninterrupted cargo flow and develop trans-regional logistics networks.

In this context, he called for intensifying work on the construction of new transport corridors. In particular, the head of Uzbekistan announced the need to begin this year the practical implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway construction project.

This proposal is due to the fact that in recent years, efforts to implement this promising project have noticeably intensified. This vital railway corridor is designed to become a key link in the regional transport network on the East-West line, thereby providing member states with access to promising markets. Thus, according to calculations, the reduction of the route from East Asia to the countries of the Middle East and Southern Europe will be about 900 km, and the delivery time of goods will decrease by 7-8 days.

To accelerate construction work, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to create a Coordinating Committee at the level of deputy heads of government of the countries of Central Asia and China.

Such a structure will not only allow prompt resolution of issues related to the implementation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway project, but will also contribute to the formation of common approaches in making decisions on transport and logistics infrastructure.

At the same time, it should be noted that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev pays special attention to the consistent development of transport infrastructure, increasing the logistics potential of Uzbekistan, as well as turning Central Asia into an international transport hub on world platforms.

In particular, active work is currently underway to create, under the auspices of the UN, a Regional Center for the Development of Transport and Communications which was initiated by the President of Uzbekistan at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly. Such a structure will make it possible to intensify joint efforts to develop existing and form new transport corridors, increasing the competitiveness of the Central Asian states in the global transport services market.

Moreover, the transport sector is also reflected in the Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022-2026. It pays special attention to strengthening the transport and transit potential, implementing programs for the development of the transport and logistics system, and further improving the country's public transport system.

Marat Aitov,

Head of the department of the ISRS

under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan