Ties with SCO partners praised

Xi has separate meetings with leaders of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan

President Xi Jinping praised increasing bilateral partnerships and cooperation while meeting separately on Wednesday with the leaders of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan.

The meetings with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov were held on the sidelines of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

When meeting with Mirziyoyev, Xi said the China-Uzbekistan relationship entered a new phase starting in January, when the two heads of state jointly decided to elevate bilateral ties to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, and to promote the construction of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future from a higher starting point.