China–Uzbekistan relations

According to the Ming Shilu, ambassadors from the Uzbek Khanate and Bukhara Khanate corresponded with Ming China more than 20 times between 1488 and 1618.{{Cite web |title=The Tūqmāq (Golden Horde), the Qazaq Khanate, the Shībānid Dynasty, Rūm (Ottoman Empire), and Moghūlistan in the XIV-XVI Centuries: from Original Sources |url=https://eurasian-research.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/The-T%C5%ABqm%C4%81q-Golden-Horde-the-Qazaq-Khanate-the-Sh%C4%ABb%C4%81nid-Dynasty-R%C5%ABm-Ottoman-Empire-and-Mogh%C5%ABlistan-in-the-XIV-XVI-Centuries-from-Original-Sources.pdf |access-date=2022-05-08 |archive-date=2023-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116225837/https://eurasian-research.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/The-T%C5%ABqm%C4%81q-Golden-Horde-the-Qazaq-Khanate-the-Sh%C4%ABb%C4%81nid-Dynasty-R%C5%ABm-Ottoman-Empire-and-Mogh%C5%ABlistan-in-the-XIV-XVI-Centuries-from-Original-Sources.pdf |url-status=dead }}

China recognized Uzbekistan's independence on 27 December 1991 and the two countries established relations on 2 January 1992.{{cite news|url=https://mfa.uz/en/cooperation/countries/374/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022021637/http://www.mfa.uz/en/cooperation/countries/374/|title=Cooperation of the Republic of Uzbekistan with the countries of the Asia and the Pacific |url-status=dead|access-date=2020-12-24|archive-date=2015-10-22|work=Ministry of Foreign Affairs}} Both countries signed the "China-Uzbek Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation" in 2005, during Uzbek leader Islam Karimov's meeting with Chinese leader Hu Jintao in Beijing.{{Cite news |last=Buckley |first=Chris |date=2005-05-27 |title=China 'honors' Uzbekistan crackdown |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/27/world/asia/china-honors-uzbekistan-crackdown.html |access-date=2020-01-31 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2020-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131104757/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/27/world/asia/china-honors-uzbekistan-crackdown.html |url-status=live }}

Uzbekistan has cooperated with China in extraditing Uyghur activists from the country.{{Cite web |last=Jardine |first=Bradley |title=China's Surveillance State Has Eyes on Central Asia |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/15/huawei-xinjiang-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-china-surveillance-state-eyes-central-asia/ |access-date=2020-01-31 |website=Foreign Policy |language=en-US |archive-date=2019-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115222721/https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/11/15/huawei-xinjiang-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-china-surveillance-state-eyes-central-asia/ |url-status=live }} In July 2019, UN ambassadors of 37 countries, including Uzbekistan, signed a joint letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council defending China's persecution of Uyghurs.{{cite news |date=15 July 2019 |title=Which Countries Are For or Against China's Xinjiang Policies? |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/which-countries-are-for-or-against-chinas-xinjiang-policies/ |work=The Diplomat |access-date=13 May 2024 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716160658/https://thediplomat.com/2019/07/which-countries-are-for-or-against-chinas-xinjiang-policies/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=12 July 2019 |title=Saudi Arabia and Russia among 37 states backing China's Xinjiang policy |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights/saudi-arabia-and-russia-among-37-states-backing-chinas-xinjiang-policy-idUSKCN1U721X |access-date=2019-07-13 |website=Reuters |archive-date=2019-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210040248/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights/saudi-arabia-and-russia-among-37-states-backing-chinas-xinjiang-policy-idUSKCN1U721X |url-status=live }} Uzbekistan was one of 16 countries that defended China in 2019 but did not do so in 2020.{{Cite news |last=Basu |first=Zachary |date=8 October 2020 |title=Mapped: More countries sign UN statement condemning China's mass detentions in Xinjiang |url=https://www.axios.com/un-statement-china-uighurs-xinjiang-6b29dbf5-b93c-4c70-bd4c-333e1c23471f.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101165353/https://www.axios.com/un-statement-china-uighurs-xinjiang-6b29dbf5-b93c-4c70-bd4c-333e1c23471f.html |archive-date=1 November 2020 |access-date=18 December 2020 |work=Axios}}

Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov called China Uzbekistan's "closest partner" on a 26 August 2019 meeting.{{Cite web |title=Uzbekistan Increasingly Turns to China for Development Loans |url=https://jamestown.org/program/uzbekistan-increasingly-turns-to-china-for-development-loans/ |access-date=2020-01-31 |website=Jamestown Foundation |language=en-US |archive-date=2019-09-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909055438/https://jamestown.org/program/uzbekistan-increasingly-turns-to-china-for-development-loans/ |url-status=live }}

China is the second-largest importer of raw materials from Uzbekistan.{{Rp|page=152}} As of 2024, significant Chinese investment in the country has resulted in approximately 600 Chinese-Uzbek joint enterprises.{{Rp|page=152}}

China has also increasing its development loans to Uzbekistan. China regards Uzbekistan as a critical part of the Belt and Road Initiative.{{cn|date=May 2024}}

Chinese–Uzbek military relations have grown in recent years as part of China's broader effort to expand its role as an arms supplier in Central Asia. Traditionally reliant on Russian military equipment, Uzbekistan has begun diversifying its defense partnerships, partly due to a decline in Russian arms exports following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In 2024, China sold anti-aircraft systems to Uzbekistan, and by April 2025, reports suggested Tashkent was considering purchasing JF-17 fighter jets; a joint China–Pakistan project known for its multi-role capabilities. If finalized, the deal would signal a shift in regional defense alignments and underscore Beijing’s increasing influence in Central Asia’s arms market.{{Cite web |title=China trying to expand role as arms supplier to Central Asia {{!}} Eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/china-trying-to-expand-role-as-arms-supplier-to-central-asia |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=eurasianet.org |language=en}}

In 2013, Uzbekistan and China signed a cultural exchange agreement to increase engagement in culture, education, science, and technology.{{Rp|page=159}} The first exchange per the agreement occurred in 2017, during which seminars, exhibitions, and performances were held.{{Rp|page=159}} These exchanges have been repeated since.{{Rp|page=159}}

China provides support for the preservation of and restoration of cultural heritage sites in Uzbekistan.{{Rp|page=159}}

China Central Television (CCTV) and Uzbekistan's National Television and Radio Corporation (UzTRK) cooperate to produce joint programs and documentaries.{{Rp|page=159}}

Uzbekistan has two Confucius Institutes.{{Cite book |last=Sun |first=Yi |title=China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment |publisher=Leiden University Press |year=2024 |isbn=9789087284411 |editor-last=Fang |editor-first=Qiang |chapter=Necessitated by Geopolitics: China's Economic and Cultural Initiatives in Central Asia |jstor=jj.15136086 |editor-last2=Li |editor-first2=Xiaobing}}{{Rp|page=156}}

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