CASS President Gao Xiang meets with Sardor Umurzakov, advisor on special assignments to the Uzbek president and chairman of the Coordinating Council for the Organization of Analytical and Research Structures under direct presidential supervision. Photo: Zhu Gaolei/CSSN
On Feb. 26, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), met in Beijing with Sardor Umurzakov, advisor on special assignments to the Uzbek president and chairman of the Coordinating Council for the Organization of Analytical and Research Structures under direct presidential supervision.
Gao stated that the elevation of China-Uzbekistan relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership for a new era, jointly announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in 2024, holds great significance for the construction of a China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future from a higher starting point. Highlighting CASS’s longstanding ties with Uzbekistan’s intellectual community, he pointed to the recent selection of the Mengchaktepa site, explored by a joint Chinese-Uzbek archaeological team and located on the northern bank of the Syr Darya River in Uzbekistan, as one of the new archaeological discoveries outside China for 2024, which has attracted significant public attention. Gao further expressed CASS’s commitment to further deepening exchanges with Uzbek experts and think tanks, supporting joint research initiatives, and strengthening university collaborations to cultivate young talent, thereby laying a solid foundation for enduring friendship between the two nations.
Gao noted that as two ancient civilizations, China and Uzbekistan firmly support each other in preserving their respective historical and cultural traditions while pursuing development paths suited to their national conditions. In 2024, CASS established the National Academy of Chinese Modernization, which is eager to engage in academic dialogue with Uzbekistan and other countries on modernization theories and practices. By sharing insights from China’s successful modernization experience, CASS aims to contribute to high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and the broader goals of building a human community with a shared future.
Umurzakov reiterated Uzbekistan’s firm commitment to its relationship with China, expressing deep admiration for China’s development achievements. He voiced Uzbekistan’s willingness to draw on China’s governance experience and implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state. He also called for closer cooperation between Uzbek think tanks and CASS, encouraging scholars from both sides to undertake in-depth studies on shared concerns and to further advance China-Uzbekistan relations in the new era.