Wang Yi holds talks with Uzbekistan FM in Beijing

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met visiting Uzbekistani Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov on Wednesday and both sides exchanged views on the Afghanistan situation.

They also discussed preparations to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit (SCO) to be held this summer in Qingdao, eastern China's Shandong Province.

Kamilov said Uzbekistan is planning to hold an international conference over the issue in Tashkent.

Wang Yi said that the issue of Afghanistan cannot be solved without the active participation of countries in the region, including Uzbekistan.

He said China understands and supports Uzbekistan's constructive role in the political reconciliation and peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan, and welcomes such meeting to be held in Tashkent.

The meeting should promote and make concerted efforts with other cooperative mechanisms, especially the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, he stressed.

Both sides also agreed that the SOC summit should summarize and carry forward the "Shanghai spirit," enhance the solidarity and mutual trust, and promote bigger development of the SCO from a new start.

Kamilov said both countries enjoy profound traditional friendship and solid foundation of mutual trust. He said that President of Uzbekistan Shavkat M. Mirziyoyev deeply values the trust and friendship between him and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Kamilov said that the Uzbek version of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" has been published, and Uzbekistan can always find good experiences from the book when making every major decision.

He said that Uzbekistan is willing to have more exchanges on governance, and join hands in construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and promote the deeper development of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

(CGTN)