China, Uzbekistan pledge to strengthen military ties

Senior Chinese and Uzbekistan military officials pledged to strengthen bilateral military ties on Tuesday.

The pledge came during a meeting between Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission Xu Caihou and Chief of Joint Staff of Uzbekistan Armed Force V. Makhmudov.

Xu hailed the traditional friendship between the two peoples of China and Uzbekistan. The bilateral relation with Uzbekistan has been developing steadily since diplomatic relations were forged 20 years ago, he added.

He said China is willing to work with Uzbekistan to bring the friendly and cooperative partnership to a higher level under the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Xu pointed out that China's military ties with Uzbekistan have been developing smoothly in recent years with growing exchanges in various fields. He also expressed his hope to further expand and deepen pragmatic cooperation and exchanges between the two armies.

Makhmudov said Uzbekistan always adheres to the one-China principle, and Uzbekistan is a reliable friend of China in Central Asia.

The Uzbekistan side is willing to work with China to achieve new progress in comprehensive pragmatic cooperation under bilateral and multi-lateral structures, he said.