Uzbek official hails China's role in sustainable development of Uzbekistan

China and Uzbekistan enjoy a profound and full-fledged partnership, said a senior Uzbek official, while hailing China's role in helping to achieve sustainable development of the Central Asian country.

In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG) aired on Friday, Sodiq Safoyev, first deputy chairman of Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, reaffirmed that one-China principle is a cornerstone of Uzbek foreign policy, adding that China and Uzbekistan support each other on many issues.

"Definitely. Never before did we have such a profound and full-fledged partnership. Of course, the first factor determining such a situation is the personal trust and relationship between two leaders. And I think that due to that today we might think that political dialogue is without any cloud on the sky. We fully support each other on the international organizations, and Uzbekistan firmly supports the stance of China vis-a-vis the confronting three evils. [The] One-China approach (principle) is a strong foundation of Uzbek foreign policy. At the same time, China always expresses its unwavering support to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of Uzbekistan. And we think that today we might see that China's presence in Central Asia and in Uzbekistan is a factor of sustainable development," said Safoyev.

Safoyev also recognized China as Uzbekistan's major economic partner.

"China's presence, it's about helping the development. For instance, today, China is number one economic partner of Uzbekistan. Our bilateral trade is more than 17 billion U.S. dollars. For Uzbekistan, it's a big figure. More than 6,000 Chinese companies are working in Uzbekistan in different fields, [such as] energy, not only traditional energy but the new renewable energy, especially Chinese companies working with the solar energy, wind energy - they are very important for upgrading the level of the Uzbek economy. Chinese companies working in construction, in transportation are very important for modernization of Uzbek economy and linking it to the world markets," he said.

Uzbek official hails China's role in sustainable development of Uzbekistan

The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's hospital ship Auspicious Ark arrived at Ghana's eastern port Tema on Friday to begin a seven-day goodwill visit and medical mission.

This is the first visit by a Chinese naval hospital ship to the West African country.

A grand welcoming ceremony was held at the dock. Ghanaian military and government officials, staff of the Chinese Embassy, and representatives of the Chinese community and Chinese-funded enterprises in Ghana attended the event. Participants held banners and waved national flags of China and Ghana to welcome the ship, while the Ghanaian side staged a military band parade to express their hospitality.

Following the ceremony, Ghanaian government and military officials, together with China's ambassador to Ghana, defense attache and embassy staff, toured the ship and held discussions with members of the mission.

China and Ghana established diplomatic ties in July 1960 and upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership in September 2024.

During the seven-day visit, in addition to providing medical services, the hospital ship will carry out various exchange activities to further enhance friendship and trust between the two countries.

Chinese Navy hospital ship arrives in Ghana on medical mission