Mr. Feruz Dodiyev, Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, visited Fuzhou City from June 17 to 18.

On June 18, Ms. Jiang Erxiong, Vice Governor of Fujian Province, met with the delegation. She highlighted the twinning between Fujian and Samarkand in May as a solid foundation for further exchanges across the board. The Vice Governor noted that Fujian and Uzbekistan share profound cultures, long histories of friendly ties, and bright prospects for cooperation thanks to complementarities in tourism resources. Ms. Jiang concluded with proposals for future cooperation on tourism by establishing a multi-channel communication mechanism to unlock tourism resources.

Mr. Feruz Dodiyev introduced policies Uzbekistan has adopted to attract Chinese tourists, including better infrastructure and more Chinese signposts, in an effort to bring the number of mutual tourist visits between China and Uzbekistan to over three million in the coming year. The Deputy Chairman suggested working more closely together on charter flights, cultural and tourism promotions, and people-to-people exchanges through various avenues to tighten bilateral ties.

Taking the occasion of the visit, the Uzbekistan tourism authority hosted a roadshow as a part of the Tourism Year of Uzbekistan in China, featuring presentations, traditional cultural performances, and business talks.

After the event, Mr. Li Lin, Director-General of Fujian Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, overviewed the follow-up progress after Governor Zhao Long’s May visit to Uzbekistan, and expressed Fujian’s readiness to work closely with Uzbekistan to strengthen business links and cultural ties.

During their stay, the delegation visited the historical block Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, the Maritime Silk Road Exhibition Hall, Fujian Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, and Kuliang History and Culture Exhibition Center.