China's experience in agrarian reform, special economic zones and anti-corruption serves as a model for Uzbekistan, a senior Uzbek lawmaker said.
Speaking in an interview with China Media Group last Tuesday, days ahead of the SCO 2026 Summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Sodiq Safoyev, first deputy chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, said his country is closely studying China's experience in development and modernization.
"We have profound cooperation in the field of education and science. Thousands of Uzbek students now are studying here in China, thousands. And we have a growing number of partnerships with Chinese universities," Safoyev said.
Elaborating on the areas in which Uzbekistan is looking to China for lessons, Safoyev highlighted several fields that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has encouraged officials to study closely, including agricultural reform, development of special economic zones and anti-corruption efforts.
"We have a special center, the Center of the Books, President Xi Jinping. It’s not something symbolic. It’s not ceremonial. It’s about studying Chinese experience of modernization. Specifically, President Mirziyoyev always recommends us that we should study three experiences in China: first, agrarian reforms, reforms in agriculture sector; second, how to develop free economic zones and to bring investments to the country; and the third, eradicating corruption. I think that Chinese miracle in this field, when hundreds of millions of people were moved from poverty to more prosperous life, it’s exemplary for us," said Safoyev.
Uzbek official hails China's experience in agrarian reform, special economic zones, anti-corruption
As the world grapples with multiplying crises and a dangerous decline in international trust, a senior Uzbek lawmaker has called for greater unity and multilateral cooperation to tackle shared crises.
Sodiq Safoyev, first deputy chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (national parliament) of Uzbekistan, said the world is navigating a complex era of "polycrisis" marked by wars, pandemics, and growing division, and that the response should not be to create new dividing lines, but to unite people and act collectively.
"Today we're living in a difficult time worldwide. Even some academicians defined the contemporary world as in a time of polycrisis or simultaneous occurrence of several catastrophic events, indeed, wars, pandemia, fragmentation of the world. And I think that it's a time not to create new division lines, but to unite the people and act together, vis-a-vis global challenges. I think that such an idea, proposed by his Excellency, Chairman [President] Xi Jinping, is very important, because it brings very clear idea that today we need to build cooperation and to think about the next generation's destiny, to save the earth from the challenges which we have," said Safoyev.
Safoyev also pushed back against the notion that deglobalization has taken hold, saying that international trade, information flows, and migration remain unstoppable. However, he warned that rising interconnectedness has been accompanied by a dangerous decline in mutual trust and understanding.
"Some people think that the process of deglobalization has started. I don't think so. I don't think that it's possible to stop international trade, flow of information, migration of people who want to study abroad, who want to work abroad. Globalization is not stopping and that's why interconnectedness of the nations only increases. But at the same time, simultaneously, we're absorbing diminishing of trust and understanding. It's a very dangerous combination. We connected, but we don't understand each other," said Safoyev.
Acknowledging that international organizations fail to meet public expectation in resolving conflicts, Safoyev said that regional mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries offer models for effective cooperation.
"And I think that international organizations today are not matching expectations of the people in the regard with preventing conflicts, preventing the problems and resolving them. And it's the most challenging issues of the contemporary world. And I think that's why the experience of Shanghai organizations [the Shanghai Cooperation Organization] and cooperation between China and Central Asian countries is very important to demonstrate that it's possible," said Safoyev.
He also said that Central Asia serves as a prime example of overcoming fragmentation and uniting, as the region has transformed from one plagued by border disputes, suspicion, and resource conflicts a decade ago into a cohesive, cooperating bloc.
"From the more positive side, I'd like to note that the situation in Central Asia is something which might give us some more optimism. Twenty years ago, even 10 years ago, Central Asia was divided, divided by suspicion, divided by unresolved issues like unresolved borders, many conflicts of interest in the regard with the using the water resources of the transnational water resources etc. Today, in a relatively short time, period of time, Central Asia became completely different, more and more consolidating, uniting, having joint approach to the regional problems. And that's why Central Asia started to lure more attention worldwide. We're seeing that [there are] more interests of the global actors with the Central Asia, and I think that it demonstrates to the whole world that it's possible today now to overcome fragmentation and to unite. And that's why we, as usual, have both some concerns. But at the same time, we must be optimists in looking ahead," said Safoyev.
He also said that wisdom of humanity and visionary leadership inspire optimism that building future of common shared destiny is possible.
Senior Uzbek lawmaker calls for regional unity, cooperation amid global "polycrisis"
