Xi'an in May was particularly busy due to a gathering across the Silk Road. On May 21, 2026, the Xi'an International Convention Center was crowded with people, and the third China Uzbekistan Local Cooperation Forum kicked off here. Government officials and entrepreneurs from about 20 provinces in China, along with leaders from various provinces in Uzbekistan, crowded the corridors of the venue. For Manager Wang, an agricultural exporter from Zhangye, Gansu, this is not only a meeting, but also an excellent opportunity to find a Central Asian channel. He shuttled around the booth of the Uzbekistan National Pavilion, carefully inquiring about the trade policies of cotton spinning and dried fruits. Chinese businessmen like him, who tried to open up new markets through local cooperation, were ubiquitous among nearly 2000 attendees.

High standard opening ceremony

The forum is jointly hosted by the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan, and is held concurrently with the 10th Silk Road International Expo. Uzbekistan's Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khozaev personally led a delegation to attend, and together with Chinese high-level officials such as Shaanxi Provincial Party Secretary Zhao Yide, set the tone for cooperation. Both sides unanimously emphasized the need to shift cooperation from traditional capital dialogues to direct linkage between Shaanxi and Uzbekistan provinces, and even industrial parks, making localities new growth points for bilateral relations.

Economic and trade data soaring

Inside and outside the venue, several sets of hardcore data were repeatedly mentioned, confirming the speed at which cooperation is heating up. In the past five years, the trade volume between China and Ukraine has tripled, reaching nearly 18 billion US dollars by the end of last year; China's direct investment in Ukraine is expected to increase fivefold, reaching $17 billion by 2025. Currently, over 5400 Chinese or joint venture enterprises are operating in Ukraine, covering the entire industry chain of energy, chemical, machinery manufacturing, textile, and agriculture. With the improvement of logistics channels, Uzbekistan is leveraging its location advantage of connecting Central Asia, Russia, and Europe to become a key node for Chinese companies to build overseas supply chains.

Industry precise docking

The core of this forum is pragmatic implementation. In addition to the main forum, multiple parallel sub forums have been set up, including economic and trade investment, technological innovation, modern agriculture, and women's entrepreneurship. Focus on green economy and digital technology, and promote the signing of projects in areas such as photovoltaics and water-saving agriculture between the two sides. The Uzbekistan National Pavilion, which is open at the same time, covers an area of 2000 square meters and showcases its investment potential and specialties. It is expected to attract over 10000 professional visitors and lay the groundwork for future order cooperation.

With the deepening of the forum, the cooperation between China and Ukraine has quietly upgraded from simple commodity trading to the co construction of industrial ecology between regions. As a participating expert pointed out, when Zhangye's agricultural technology meets Uzbekistan's cotton fields, and when Xi'an's logistics trains connect to factories in Central Asia, these regional capillary connections are becoming the most solid force driving bilateral relations.Editor/Yang Meiling