Uzbekistan Weekly: Uzbekistan deepens China ties; CKU railway accelerates; PPP pipeline expands

November 13, 2025 to November 19, 2025

This week's top 10 stories from Uzbekistan, selected from our daily intelligence briefs.

1. China’s Foreign Minister to Hold Strategic Talks in Tashkent, Bishkek, and Dushanbe in Late November 2025

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will undertake a three-country visit to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan from 19–22 November 2025 for separate strategic dialogues with his counterparts, following invitations from the three governments. Beijing says the meetings will implement understandings reached between President Xi Jinping and the three leaders, follow up on outcomes of the second China–Central Asia summit, and cover bilateral ties as well as regional and international issues. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning framed the trip as aimed at strengthening political trust and deepening “high-quality” cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The visit signals sustained high-level engagement between Beijing and Central Asia and could advance new project pipelines and policy coordination across security, trade and connectivity. For Uzbekistan and its neighbours, talks may accelerate infrastructure, trade facilitation and connectivity projects under the Belt and Road framework and align regional approaches to shared geopolitical and economic challenges, reinforcing China’s role as a key external partner in Central Asian policymaking.

Local Coverage: kun.uz, qalampir.uz, anhor.uz, gazeta.uz

From daily briefs: 2025-11-18, 2025-11-19

2. China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway Accelerates, Completion Now Eyed in 4–5 Years

Construction of the 532.5 km China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan (CKU) railway is running ahead of schedule, with Uzbek Railways’ First Deputy Chairman Hikmatulla Rakhmatov saying the line could be finished in about four years—two years sooner than the original six-year plan—and Kyrgyz Transport Minister Tilek Tekebaev targeting completion in five years. The $4.7 billion joint-venture project is split 51% China, 24.5% Kyrgyzstan and 24.5% Uzbekistan, and will include roughly 312 km of track through Kyrgyzstan.

If delivered on the accelerated timeline, the CKU corridor would shorten routes between China, Central Asia, the Caucasus and Europe by more than 1,000 km, increase regional transit capacity and reduce reliance on routes through Russia and Kazakhstan. Officials are positioning CKU for integration with the Trans-Caspian corridor and a potential Trans-Afghan link to Pakistan’s ports, signaling broader strategic shifts in overland Eurasian logistics and China’s connectivity footprint.

Local Coverage: gazeta.uz, kun.uz

From daily brief: 2025-11-14

3. PPP Pipeline Reaches $34 Billion as Uzbekistan Launches Single Digital Platform for Project Oversight

Uzbekistan reported a pipeline of 2,800 public–private partnership (PPP) projects valued at $34 billion at a forum co-hosted by the Economy and Finance Ministry and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), positioning PPPs as a central mechanism to mobilize private capital for infrastructure and social services. Vice Minister Ilhomjon Umrzakov tied the initiative to the “Uzbekistan‑2030” strategy and a national $30 billion PPP program through 2030, citing recent sectoral progress in energy, education and healthcare and stressing the need to prioritize and digitally monitor projects.

To strengthen oversight and investor appeal, the government will launch a unified electronic PPP management platform (ppp.imv.uz) with full operation scheduled for January 1, 2026, and plans to expand AI use in project tracking. The ADB indicated it aims to catalyze roughly $1 billion in private investment across transport, water, energy and social sectors through new PPP portfolios, underscoring an emphasis on procurement efficiency and risk mitigation to attract international capital.

Local Coverage: uza.uz

From daily brief: 2025-11-19

4. Siemens Energy May Help Electrify National Gas Transport Network, Minister Says

Uzbekistan’s Energy Minister Jo‘rabek Mirzamahmudov said the government is exploring partnerships with foreign firms, including Siemens Energy, to electrify the national gas transport system by replacing gas-driven compressor stations and related infrastructure with electric units. The shift aims to reduce fuel losses and emissions, improve grid integration and transmission reliability, and free gas for higher-value uses or export; it would create demand for equipment, engineering, grid upgrades and financing from international suppliers and investors.

The plan is at an early feasibility and negotiation stage: no scope, timeline or financing details were disclosed. Advancing the initiative would require coordinated capital expenditure planning and operational transition among the energy ministry, the transmission operator and gas sector enterprises, and could have implications for transmission capacity planning and cross-sector electricity–gas system management.

Local Coverage: kun.uz

From daily brief: 2025-11-13

5. Tri-Border Treaty Finalized as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Exchange Ratification Instruments

Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have exchanged ratification instruments in Tashkent, formally completing a trilateral treaty that defines the precise junction point of their state borders in the sensitive Fergana Valley. The accord, originally signed by Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Emomali Rahmon and Sadyr Japarov on 31 March in Khujand, saw Uzbekistan’s Legislative Chamber approve ratification on 28 October, the Senate on 1 November and Mirziyoyev sign the law on 14 November; Kyrgyzstan ratified in July. Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov said finalization “paves the way for implementing the tri-border agreement.”

The treaty provides a legal basis to reduce long-standing frontier frictions, facilitate cross-border trade and coordinate joint infrastructure and security projects around the tri-point. While operational details and timelines for technical demarcation and joint commissions were not disclosed, the move marks a concrete step in recent regional efforts to resolve demarcation disputes, lowering administrative and investment risks in the Ferghana Valley.

Local Coverage: gazeta.uz, kun.uz, qalampir.uz

From daily briefs: 2025-11-16, 2025-11-17, 2025-11-19

6. Tashkent and Astana Advance Strategic Alliance with New Trade, Water and Defense Agreements

On 15 November in Tashkent, Presidents Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev elevated Uzbekistan–Kazakhstan relations to a strategic partnership, signing accords on trade, energy, water management, customs, defense training and transport while launching joint industrial and logistics projects. Bilateral trade is running at about $4 billion year‑to‑date with a shared target of $10 billion by 2030; officials established the O‘zKazTreyd joint investment platform and an $8+ billion project pipeline, inaugurated the “Central Asia” International Industrial Cooperation Center, and unveiled seven projects worth $1.2 billion including logistics, petrochemical and hospitality assets. New transport corridors (notably Uchquduq–Kyzylorda) and incentives at Aktau, Kuryk and Khorgos aim to boost connectivity, alongside agreements on transboundary water governance, radio‑frequency coordination and joint military exercises.

The summit dovetailed with regional initiatives—the Great Silk Road Business Cooperation Forum and a Central Asia leaders’ consultative meeting—where ministers set a broader intra‑regional trade goal of $20 billion and launched work on a “Made in Central Asia” brand, customs harmonization and digital single‑window systems. For international professionals, the accords signal accelerated integration of Central Asian supply chains, expanded investment opportunities (state‑backed and private) across mining, energy, IT and manufacturing, and reduced logistical bottlenecks—while execution risks will hinge on project finance, regulatory harmonization and effective transboundary water and transport governance.

Local Coverage: uza.uz, anhor.uz, kun.uz, qalampir.uz, gazeta.uz, spot.uz, uzdaily.uz

From daily briefs: 2025-11-13, 2025-11-14, 2025-11-15, 2025-11-16, 2025-11-17

7. EU Blacklists Businessman Rustam Muminov over Alleged Support to Russia’s Defense Industry

The European Union on (19th package) added Uzbek-born businessman Rustam Muminov to its 19th sanctions list, accusing him of materially supporting Russia’s military‑industrial complex by supplying cotton cellulose used in ammunition production. EU documents say Muminov holds Uzbek, Russian and UK citizenship and that under his leadership the Fergana Chemical Plant — reportedly producing up to 30,000 tonnes of cotton cellulose annually and exporting roughly 90% of output — supplied cellulose to powder factories in Perm and Kazan. Corporate filings show the plant was wholly owned in 2023 by Mercury Renaissance, with Muminov holding 60% and partner Shahriyor Tojiev 40%.

The listing follows parallel measures earlier in spring 2025 by Ukraine, which sanctioned Mercury Renaissance, Fergana Chemical Plant, Raw Material Cellulose and imposed personal restrictions on Muminov. Together the moves signal intensified Western and Ukrainian efforts to disrupt supply chains feeding Russia’s war economy and increase legal and commercial risk for entities and individuals linked to dual‑use material flows.

Local Coverage: anhor.uz

From daily brief: 2025-11-18

8. Aksa Enerji Wins Concession to Modernize Samarkand Power Distribution Network in $357M PPP

Turkey’s Aksa Enerji has won an international tender to take over and modernize the Samarkand region’s electricity distribution network under a concession, the Uzbek Economy and Finance Ministry announced. The project—now estimated at $357 million through 2030—covers design, financing, construction, operations, maintenance and low-voltage distribution; Aksa will manage the network for up to 30 years with a performance-based extension option. Other shortlisted bidders included EDF and Kansai Electric.

The concession aligns with Uzbekistan’s PPP roadmap to transfer all regional distribution grids to private operators by July 1, 2027. Authorities framed the move as a cost-saving and reliability-improvement measure: Samarkand’s network shows substantial depreciation (54% of lines and 45% of transformer points outdated) amid national losses of 9.3%, suggesting significant scope for efficiency gains and investment-led loss reduction.

Local Coverage: gazeta.uz

From daily brief: 2025-11-19

9. Decree Sets AI Expansion Targets, Investment and Education Push Through 2030

On 22 October Uzbekistan issued a presidential decree launching a coordinated AI expansion through 2030 that sets concrete deployment, investment and education targets. The plan mandates at least 100 AI projects by 2026 across public administration, social services and industry, seeks over $1 billion in foreign investment by 2030 to build compute capacity, data centres and innovation platforms, and will bring AI fundamentals, algorithms and programming into school and university curricula beginning in the 2026–2027 academic year. Institutional measures include a Consultative Council under the Ministry of Digital Technologies, a national portal (ai.gov.uz) due by end‑2025 to consolidate projects and training, and the establishment of 15 university AI labs by 2026.

The decree also codifies incentives and capacity‑building to accelerate uptake: a presidential prize for leading AI startups from 2026, a 35% increase in state grants for IT/AI fields, regional AI advisers embedded in local governments, and trainer preparation at New Uzbekistan University. For international stakeholders, the package signals an intent to attract sizable foreign capital and to scale public‑sector AI deployments quickly, while also building domestic talent and governance structures that could shape regional innovation and procurement opportunities.

Local Coverage: uza.uz

From daily brief: 2025-11-17

10. German Equipment Supplier Accused of Routing Sanctioned Machinery to Russia via Tashkent

Investigative outlet Correctiv reports that German engineering firm Köppern allegedly routed sanctioned high‑tech mineral‑compaction machinery to Russia’s potash producer Uralkali by transshipping goods through Uzbekistan. Between November 2023 and May 2024 roughly $4.5 million of equipment was sold to Tashkent‑based Etc U Stan and re‑exported to Uralkali as “components for potash granulation,” and German customs records cited by the report indicate Uralkali continued to import Köppern equipment through March 2025. Nearly all mineral‑compaction machinery valued at about €30 million sent to Uzbekistan later appears to have ended up with Uralkali.

The revelations carry regulatory and commercial implications: the EU on April 8, 2025 imposed an export ban on Köppern’s specialized press machines and related dual‑use equipment, reflecting concerns about sanctions circumvention. Uralkali is part of Uralchem, whose former owner Dmitry Mazepin reduced his stake after EU sanctions in March 2022, and the Correctiv findings may prompt further enforcement actions and scrutiny of re‑export routes through third countries.

Local Coverage: anhor.uz

From daily brief: 2025-11-15

About This Weekly Digest

The stories above represent the most significant developments from Uzbekistan this week, selected through our AI-powered analysis of hundreds of local news articles.

Stories are drawn from our daily intelligence briefs, which synthesize reporting from Uzbekistan's leading news sources to provide comprehensive situational awareness for international decision-makers.