THE REVIVAL OF THE SILK ROAD: FROM HISTORICAL DEPTH TO 2025 — A STUDY OF CHINA-UZBEKISTAN RELATIONS

Аннотация

The history of China-Uzbekistan relations spans over two millennia — from the camel caravans of the ancient Silk Road to the iron rails of the Belt and Road Initiative in the new era. This relationship has undergone a profound transformation from civilizational dialogue to strategic coordination. This paper systematically traces the evolution of bilateral relations, with a focus on the latest developments in economic cooperation in 2025. The study finds that 2025 marks a critical turning point, as China-Uzbekistan economic cooperation transitions from “quantitative accumulation” to “qualitative leap”: the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway has entered substantive construction, digital infrastructure cooperation has achieved historic breakthroughs, green energy projects have clustered intensively, and financial cooperation in local currency settlement has deepened. These developments indicate that bilateral relations have transcended the traditional framework of energy and trade cooperation, evolving into a multi-dimensional cooperation landscape encompassing digital infrastructure, green energy, artificial intelligence, and financial interconnectivity. The relationship is upgrading from “bilateral cooperation” to “regional integration,” serving as a key pillar in building a China-Central Asia community with a shared future