In an exclusive interview, Bobir Yakhyaev, consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in China, told the Global Times that in recent years, cooperation between Uzbekistan and China has entered a new era in the fields of education, joint archaeology, culture, people-to-people diplomacy, sports, and tourism.

Talking about SCO cooperation, Consul Yakhyaev said that he looks forward to the upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin as he is one of the delegates. "People-to-people diplomacy is very important to share our friendship and [have] exchanges," he noted. 

For this reason, the visa-free agreement between the governments of the People's Republic of China and Uzbekistan came into effect on June 1. The Uzbek government has been making efforts to attract Chinese tourists.

"We would like to attract more tourists from China. Recently, there have been about 60 direct flights every week. We are working to increase the number of direct flights [between Uzbekistan and China] to 100," the consul said. 

With that in place, Uzbekistan intends to attract one million Chinese tourists. To create a Chinese tourist-friendly environment, the consul noted that Chinese signage at airports in Uzbekistan has been added and mobile payment services have been deployed in the country. Likewise, in hotels, menus in Chinese are now available. 

Consul Bobir Yakhyaev of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in China Photo: Chen Tao/GT

Additionally, the consul introduced that cooperation in education is also steadily increasing. 

In January 2024, the Uzbek-Chinese educational forum was successfully held in Beijing with the participation of more than 100 universities with agreements reached between the two sides. A similar forum in Tashkent is being scheduled for November 2025. Delegates from Chinese universities and officials are expected to participate in the forum, the consul said.

Language is one of the important tools for building a platform for efficient dialogue and practical cooperation. Confucius Institutes in Tashkent and Samarkand have contributed greatly to the study of Chinese language and culture, and the education of Chinese specialists, said Consul Yakhyaev.

"Chinese is taught at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Uzbekistan State University of World Languages, the University of World Economy and 

Diplomacy, Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, and a number of other higher education institutions," he added. 

Meanwhile, archaeological cooperation between Uzbekistan and China has also been progressing smoothly. In particular, together with Chinese specialists, research is being carried out at many archaeological monuments in Uzbekistan's Surkhandarya, Samarkand, Fergana, and Khorezm regions. 

"Chinese experts are not only helping in the study of Uzbekistan's historical sites, but are also helping to preserve artifacts in a new way," Consul Yakhyaev said. 

Members of the Joint Uzbek-Chinese archaeological expedition found graves and 2,000-year-old city remains in the Long District of Surkhandarya with a history of 4,000 years. According to early scholarly conclusions, these archaeological finds have been dated back to the Qang', Kushan, and Yuechji (massagets) periods from the 2nd to 3rd centuries BC.

A group of archaeologists from Uzbekistan and China carried out excavations in Mingtepa in the ancient Fergana Valley, Khiva, and Khorezm region.

During the search, the joint archaeological team found cultural heritage related to ancient times from the famous Munchoktepa Square on Uzbek territory.

The SCO was established on June 15, 2001, with Uzbekistan joining as the sixth member. Over the years, Uzbekistan has chaired the SCO Summit four times. 

The Consul has held his current position for five years. He has traveled across China, and his overall impression of Chinese culture is that "China is a great country. I respect the harmony of Chinese people and Chinese society."

"Taking the opportunity to wish peace and prosperity to all our Chinese friends, I sincerely wish that the SCO summit in Tianjin and the events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory [V-Day commemorations] in Beijing will be successful," Consul Yakhyaev said.