Zhang Zhili, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Alisher Shukurov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan, co-chaired the sixth meeting of the Subcommittee on Agricultural Cooperation of the China–Uzbekistan Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee in Beijing on April 27. The two sides had an in-depth exchange on strengthening cooperation in areas including the seed industry, agricultural S&T, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, soil health, water-saving irrigation, and specialty cash crops.  

Vice Minister Zhang noted that since the establishment of the Subcommittee on Agricultural Cooperation, exchanges and interactions between the agricultural authorities of China and Uzbekistan have become increasingly close. Cooperation in areas such as agro-trade, investment, S&T, and poverty reduction has progressed steadily, delivering tangible results. China stands ready to work with Uzbekistan to strengthen institutional exchanges, plan and implement cooperation projects across the value chain, unlock the potential for cooperation in the agricultural sector, trade, and S&T, and promote the adoption of more advanced and appropriate agricultural technologies, so as to advance bilateral agricultural cooperation to a deeper and more substantive level.  

Deputy Minister Shukurov stated that Uzbekistan attaches great importance to cooperation with China and agrees with China’s views and suggestions on deepening bilateral agricultural cooperation. He also said that Uzbekistan looks forward to further learning from China’s experience in agricultural modernization and stands ready to expand exchanges and cooperation with China in areas such as the seed industry, agro-processing, agro-trade, R&D, and saline-alkali land improvement.