Uzbekistan has completed bilateral talks with China on matters of joining the World Trade Organization, the President’s WTO Envoy, Azizbek Urunov said today on LinkedIn account.
China has become the 22nd country with which Uzbekistan has completed bilateral discussions on joining the WTO.
“Brief but productive visit to Beijing! Yesterday we completed bilateral the talks with the People’s Republic of China on the issue of Uzbekistan’s accession to the World Trade Organization,” Urunov said.
He thanked the Ministry of Commerce of China, the Deputy Minister Li Fei and the entire team for the “constructive dialogue.”
“The end of the year was productive for Uzbekistan in the process of joining the World Trade Organization — negotiations with the two largest global trade players — the United States and China — have been completed. Negotiations have been completed with 22 countries, very little remains!” the Envoy Urunov added.
Urunov last visited China on October 22-23. After the visit, he reported that the talks had been completed on access to the services market, and only a few unresolved issues remained on access to the goods market.
He had previously noted that Uzbekistan would have to complete negotiations with Russia, the European Union, Great Britain, Switzerland, and other countries.
At a meeting with business leaders in August, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called joining the WTO "a thoughtful and far-sighted choice, as well as an integral part of reforms." Previously, the country's economy "to some extent needed protection," but if it continues down this path, Uzbekistan's opportunities will be limited, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjayev said in May that Uzbekistan intended to join the World Trade Organization before the 14th ministerial conference in Cameroon in 2026.
