Even back then, our countries — two great civilizations of their time — exchanged not only goods, but also knowledge. Scientists, mathematicians, astronomers and healers from Central Asia made a significant contribution to the development of Chinese science. Many of them became prominent public figures and scientists of the ancient China.

It is known that the legendary Ming Dynasty admiral, traveler and a diplomat, Zheng He was the grandson of a native of Bukhara, Sayyid Ajall Omar, the first governor of Yunnan province.

The Canon of Medicine and other works of the great Abu Ali ibn Sina from Bukhara were translated into Chinese and were used in the creation of the works Hui Hui Yaofang ("Muslim Medicines") and Ben Cao Gang Mu ("Treatise on Medicinal Herbs").

The studies of historians indicate that the Tang Dynasty period was marked by the zenith of China's humanitarian exchanges with Samarkand, Bukhara and other major cities in our region. The art, fashion, national cuisines and other elements of cultural exchange grew quite famous in the Chinese capital and regions.

Rooted in centuries-old cultural and historical ties, and modern relations based on the closeness of mentalities and strong principles of friendship, mutual respect and trust, today, serve as a solid foundation for our comprehensive and full-scale cooperation.

The Chinese people frequently say, "Brothers of the same heart can melt even iron." There is also a saying in Uzbekistan, "If brothers are united, a horse to ride shall always be."

Over the past three decades, thanks to the trustful dialogue at the top-level, and regular summits of the heads of state, the interaction between our two countries has been expanding even more, reaching new historical heights.

A unique multilevel system of development for mutually beneficial cooperation is formed, including such mechanisms as the Intergovernmental Committee, the Inter-parliamentary Group and the Strategic Dialogue at the level of foreign ministers, as well as active humanitarian and interregional exchanges.

We share a common desire to ensure regional and international security, a commitment to the central role of the UN and multilateral cooperation in tackling global challenges and achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

We firmly support each other on issues concerning the fundamental interests of our countries, such as state sovereignty, territorial integrity, compliance with the principles of good-neighborliness and respect for the choice of one's own path of development, as well as cultural and civilizational identity.

Trade, economic and investment cooperation between Uzbekistan and China has been steadily growing.

Following the outcomes of last year, the bilateral trade turnover grew by 40 percent, with China being our top trade partner.

Investment interaction is also actively developing. In recent years, the volume of Chinese investments has increased five-fold, and the number of enterprises with Chinese capital in various sectors of the economy has tripled.

A number of large joint investment projects are underway in high technology, alternative energy, chemistry, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, electrical engineering, infrastructure modernization and other areas.

Thanks to our Chinese partners, we are taking important steps in developing green energy and creating 27 gigawatts of renewable energy generation capacity by 2030.

On the basis of this experience, we elected the Syrdarya region of our country as a pilot zone for innovations and implementation of joint perspective projects on the establishment of agro-industrial parks, automobile production and agricultural clusters.

The established firm and direct contacts enable the development of other regions as well. Last year, delegations with heads of all our regions visited China for building partnership with provinces and cities of the People's Republic of China.

An intensive and fruitful exchange of experience and knowledge in modernization and solving socioeconomic problems has been established. China's successful experience in poverty alleviation has proved to be highly relevant and useful to us.

We intend to further deepen this area of cooperation.

The Uzbek and Chinese peoples traditionally have strong ties in the cultural and humanitarian sphere. As a Chinese proverb says, "The friendship of countries lies in the closeness of nations, and the closeness of nations lies in the closeness of hearts."

It is very gratifying to note that year by year the interest of our citizens in studying the Chinese language, the rich history and culture of your country is growing. Chinese is taught not only in universities, but also in schools within the educational curriculum as a second foreign language.

Confucius Institutes are operating in Tashkent and Samarkand.

Several thousands of our young women and men are studying under bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in the leading Chinese universities to become qualified specialists and take part in the implementation of future joint projects.

The historical and cultural proximity of our countries also benefits the development of active tourist exchanges. Uzbekistan is among the countries that Chinese tourist groups absolutely must visit.

We, in Uzbekistan, are steadily developing tourism infrastructure. The regions of our country have established partnerships with Chinese provinces, which serves to attract hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists every year. I would like to emphasize that hospitable Uzbekistan with its unique ancient monuments and picturesque nature always enjoys welcoming Chinese friends.

Soon in China, the Days of Uzbek Culture, the exhibition of fine and folk applied arts of Uzbekistan and the Uzbek-Chinese Educational Forum will kick off, as well as the broad celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of partnership relations between Tashkent and Shanghai will take place.