On August 18, CIIDS Vice Chairman Feng Wei met with a Uzbek think-tank delegation led by Mr. Sanjar Valiev, Director of the Institute of Foreign Policy Studies and Initiatives under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and Mr. Saidkamol Agzamkhodjaev, Minister-Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the People's Republic of China, at the Institute's head office in Beijing. The two sides exchanged views on issues such as China-Uzbekistan relations, China-Central Asia relations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and think-tank cooperation between the two countries.

Vice Chairman Feng Wei extended a warm welcome to the Uzbek guests. He noted that CIIDS adheres to the concept of China's peaceful rise and advocates the common peaceful rise of China and fellow Global South countries. Building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future is a priority in China's diplomacy. Uzbekistan is China's good neighbor, good friend, and good partner. Both countries are in a critical stage of their own national development, rejuvenation, and modernization, with extensive common interests and huge cooperation potential. CIIDS is willing to leverage its think-tank network and the Understanding China platform to promote practical strategic cooperation between China and Uzbekistan, expand the convergence of interests between the two countries, build an all-round and multi-field community of interests, and contribute to enriching the connotation of the China-Uzbekistan community with a shared future and the China-Central Asia community with a shared future.

The Uzbek side fully agreed with CIIDS's founding concepts and highly appreciated the important role of the Understanding China initiative in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. They expressed the expectation to carry out diverse forms of think-tank cooperation with CIIDS and actively participate in the Understanding China initiative to help the international community better understand China, Uzbekistan, and Central Asia.

Mr. Doniyor Kurbanov, Head of the Department of the International Institute of Central Asia and former Uzbek Ambassador to China, Mr. Shuhrat Shamilev, Researcher at the Institute of Strategic and Inter-regional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan, and Ms. Shen Yinyin, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the International Department of CIIDS, attended the meeting.