On February 3, the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office (NXFAO), the Ningxia Forestry and Grassland Administration, the Embassy of China in Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan jointly convened a video conference on desertification control. The occasion served as a platform to discuss cooperation in combating desertification and to explore pathways for ecological conservation. Among the attendees delivering remarks were Umid Abidkhadjaev, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, H.E. Farhod Arziev, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China, Yu Jun, Ambassador of China to Uzbekistan, and Bai Yuzhen, Director-General of the NXFAO.

In his address, Ambassador Yu underscored China’s longstanding commitment to desertification control. He highlighted that the people of Ningxia, with extraordinary courage and wisdom, have effectively curbed the spread of deserts. By integrating sand control with poverty alleviation, they have created an ecological miracle of green oases replacing deserts and a development path featuring green development and economic prosperity advancing together. These achievements represent a vivid chapter in China’s practice of ecological advancement and offer valuable insights for the international community. Ambassador Yu expressed China’s readiness to work with Uzbekistan to leverage platforms like the China-Central Asia Cooperation Center for Combating Desertification (the Cooperation Center), tailoring Ningxia’s experience to the specific national conditions and plans of Uzbekistan and work together to formulate feasible cooperation roadmaps.

Umid Abidkhadjaev, Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, spoke highly of Ningxia’s productive practice of turning deserts into oases. Expressing keen interest in local wisdom such as the straw checkerboards, he voiced hope that both sides would take on international cooperation, technical exchanges, and joint scientific research to explore solutions for combating desertification, thereby yielding fruitful results in practical cooperation between the two countries.

H.E. Farhod Arziev, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to China, remarked that China’s achievements in ecological governance, desertification control, and arid land development are truly impressive. The Ningxia experience, he noted, serves as a model for other arid regions globally in addressing land erosion and degradation. Given the similar climatic and geographical conditions of the two regions, it holds significant practical value to facilitate the participation of more Ningxia experts and enterprises in Uzbekistan’s desertification control, forestry development, and water-saving agricultural projects.

Bai Yuzhen, Director-General of the NXFAO, stated that the CPC Ningxia Committee and the Ningxia People’s Government are committed to the establishment and operation of the Cooperation Center. The goal is to build it into a new platform connecting China and Central Asian countries for mutually beneficial cooperation in this field. Ningxia and Uzbekistan face the shared challenge of desertification, hence the need to pursue green development. Through the Cooperation Center, Ningxia aims to deepen practical cooperation with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries, striving to replicate and scale up the Ningxia experience, tell the story of China’s desertification control, and share the Chinese wisdom with the world.

During the conference, the Cooperation Center presented Ningxia’s experience in desertification control and updated attendees on its progress. Government departments, research institutes, and business representatives from both countries connected virtually to share technical expertise and practical achievements in desertification control, saline-alkali land improvement, and high-efficiency water conservation. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on key areas —including technology application, joint research, personnel training, and joint projects—building consensus and seeking feasible pathways for ecological governance cooperation.

The success of this conference represents a concrete step in implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state. It is also a tangible measure to carry forward the China-Central Asia Spirit, deepen practical cooperation, and share governance experience. Furthermore, it marks a significant opportunity to leverage the Cooperation Center to substantiate bilateral ecological cooperation. Taking this occasion as a catalyst, Ningxia will align with Uzbekistan’s governance needs to ensure that future cooperation projects yield tangible results, thereby contributing to the continuous improvement of ecological environment in both countries and injecting green momentum into building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.