Xi Jinping signs deals worth US$15b in Uzbekistan
In the latest stop on Xi's tour of Central Asia, Karimov praised his energy-rich country's growing ties with China which he described as the locomotive of the world economy.
President Xi Jinping and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, signed agreements worth US$15 billion in key sectors, including the exploitation of oil, gas and uranium fields in the Central Asian state.
In the latest stop on Xi's tour of Central Asia, Karimov praised his energy-rich country's growing ties with China which he described as the locomotive of the world economy.
"For all the years of our independent development, China has never linked the provision and expansion of multifaceted bilateral co-operation with any political or other conditions," Karimov told reporters.
The remarks appeared to be a veiled reference to Tashkent's sometimes awkward relations with the West over human rights concerns.
Xi is on a closely-watched four-nation tour of Central Asia that has already seen him sign major energy deals in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. He is due to travel to Kyrgyzstan next.
Beijing has in recent years been ramping up its influence in a region that was once Moscow's playground, seeking new sources of energy for its fast-growing economy.