China, Uzbekistan expand cooperation to combat desertification

China (Ningxia) and Uzbekistan held a video conference on desertification prevention and control, exchanging views and outlining plans for further collaboration.

The event was organised by the Chinese Embassy in Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR) government, and the NHAR Forestry and Grassland Administration, Caliber.Az reports via Chinese media.

Participants noted that both countries face common challenges—drought, water scarcity, and management of saline and alkali soils—while sharing a commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development.

NHAR is surrounded by the Mu Us, Tengger, and Ulan Buh deserts. Desert land covers 2.64 million hectares, and sandy areas 1 million hectares, accounting for 50.7% and 19.3% of the region, respectively. Thanks to desertification control efforts, NHAR has become the first provincial-level administrative unit in China to record a reduction in these areas.

In June 2025, the China-Central Asia summit announced the establishment of a Desertification Prevention Cooperation Centre to be located in NHAR.

Uzbek Ambassador to China, Farhod Arziev, participated in the conference. Earlier in 2026, he visited the Baijitan National Nature Reserve and the NHAR Vocational and Technical University.

Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Yu Jun, emphasised that relations between the two countries are at the level of an all-weather strategic partnership. 

He noted that ecological cooperation and desertification control have significant potential and serve the interests of both peoples. China called for leveraging existing bilateral and multilateral frameworks to implement concrete projects.

By Jeyhun Aghazada