BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Tashkent for a state visit to Uzbekistan on Sunday evening.

Xi and his delegation were welcomed by Uzbek President Islam Karimov and Foreign Minister, Kamilove Khafizovich.

In a written statement issued on arrival, Xi lauded the time-honored friendship between China and Uzbekistan. He said 21 years of diplomatic relations had seen rounded and rapid development of bilateral ties.

Xi says he’s confident his visit will inject fresh vigor into the development of the China-Uzbekistan strategic partnership and President Xi added that he’s looking forward to exchanging views with President Karimov on bilateral relations and cooperation, as well as global and regional issues of common concern.

Xi flew to the Uzbek capital after wrapping up a state visit to Kazakhstan. The Chinese president will next pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan, where he’s due to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

(Source: cntv.cn)