Minister Han Changfu met with Mr. Zoyir Toirovich Mirzaev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation of Uzbekistan, in the Prime Minister's Office on 8 July 2017.
Mr. Mirzaev extended a warm welcome to the Chinese delegation. He emphasized that the agreement on agriculture holds a unique position in the series of documents signed under the witness of the two heads of the states in May of 2017. He hopes to enhance cooperation with China on key projects covering cotton, agricultural product storage and processing, aquaculture, deep processing of sericulture products and fertilizer production, to promote agricultural development in Uzbekistan and the export of its agricultural products.
In response to the Uzbek side, Minister Han stressed that China and Uzbekistan are comprehensive strategic partners. The two heads of the states highly value the friendly and cooperative relations, giving prominence to agricultural cooperation. Minister Han suggested that the two sides further cooperation in agricultural technology, sericulture, cotton production, aquaculture and agricultural processing, and expressed the readiness to provide Uzbek agricultural technicians field study or training opportunities in China. He noted that China encourages Chinese agribusinesses to invest and develop business in Uzbekistan and will commit itself to the full implementation of the consensus between the two heads of states on agricultural cooperation.
After the meeting, under the witness of Minister Han and Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister, MOUs on agricultural research and development and on joint labs for cotton research were signed. Chinese ambassador to Uzbekistan Mr. Sun Lijie also attended the meeting.
During his stay in Uzbekistan, Minister Han, accompanied by Mr. Mirzaev, also visited an agricultural research institute, an enterprise specializing in agricultural processing and a farm where he had an in-depth conversation with local farmers.