by Martina Fuchs

DOHA, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan is eager to boost cooperation with China in the area of information and communication technology, the country's deputy minister of Digital Technologies has said, as the investment relations between the two nations are flourishing.

"We have many future cooperation plans with China, especially because this country is a leader in AI (artificial intelligence), the ICT (information and communication technology) sector and ICT infrastructure, and it has huge resources," Rustam Karimjonov told Xinhua on Monday on the sidelines of the Web Summit Qatar, taking place at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center from Feb. 23-26.

"We are working on the Belt and Road Initiative together. Since ancient times, Uzbekistan has been the heart of the Silk Road, so today it's a perfect time to cooperate with Chinese corporations," he emphasized.

Recent reports revealed that China was the top foreign investor in Uzbekistan in 2024, contributing 27.9 percent of the total foreign investments and loans, local media quoted the press service of the Uzbek president as saying.

At the same time, Uzbekistan saw a 75 percent surge in tourist arrivals from China in 2024. Statistics showed that 74,304 Chinese tourists visited Uzbekistan in 2024, up from 42,470 in the previous year.

"We have a huge cooperation with China," Karimjonov highlighted. "I myself have been to China recently to sign agreements and make big plans. A lot of IT infrastructure and IT companies like Huawei or ZTE have already been working in Uzbekistan for decades and generating good money."

"They are expanding their business more and more which is boosting cooperation in education, IT and the fintech sectors."

"Many developed and developing countries are looking for dark horses, potential countries who will become leaders in the ICT sector. One of them is Uzbekistan. We have great IT infrastructure and good cooperation with countries around the world," Karimjonov stressed.

"Our country is opening up and huge investments are entering Uzbekistan in all industries: the energy sector, tourism, education, fintech, and so on," he said.

The deputy minister also said that Uzbekistan's young population, a growing talent pool and government support were injecting further growth into the country's ICT economy.

Web Summit Qatar, the Middle East's leading startup event, said it registered a record 25,747 attendees this year from 124 countries, along with 1,520 startups and 723 investors. Enditem

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