On January 12, 2007, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui attended a reception hosted by the Uzbek ambassador to China to mark the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Uzbekistan. Assistant Foreign Minister Li and Ambassador Nosirdjan Yusupov made speeches respectively. Li said Uzbekistan became the first country in Central Asia to establish diplomatic ties with China 15 years ago, thus opening a new chapter for Sino-Uzbek ties. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, bilateral relations have been developing soundly and steadily with frequent high-level visits and deepening political trust. Both sides have shown firm support to each other on major issues of mutual concern, conducted closer mutually beneficial cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, energy, transportation, security and humanities and carried out effective cooperation in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and other multilateral frameworks. China will make joint efforts with Uzbekistan to earnestly implement various consensuses reached by the leaders of the two countries, so as to push for their friendly cooperative partnership, Li said.

Ambassador Yusupov spoke highly of the achievements of the development of bilateral ties in the past 15 years, stressing that to consolidate and develop friendly cooperative partnership with China is a set policy of the Uzbek government. He said his country will continue to firmly support China's position on the key issues related to Taiwan, Tibet and combating the "East Turkistan" terrorist forces and comprehensively deepen mutually beneficial cooperation with China in all areas, in a bid to push for sustained development of bilateral ties for the benefit of both countries and their peoples.