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China expands trade ties with Uzbekistan, lifting Central Asia activity
China-Uzbek bilateral trade in the first half of 2026 reached as much as $8.9 billion, and Chinese business registrations in Uzbekistan nearly doubled after 2024.
Uzbekistan is seeing a further surge in Chinese economic influence, according to OilPrice, with trade and company activity accelerating across Central Asia.
Bilateral trade during the first half of 2026 rose to $7.7 billion based on official Uzbek government data, while Chinese government statistics put the figure higher at $8.9 billion. Russia trails China, with bilateral turnover of $5.8 billion.
The outlet also points to a rapid expansion of Chinese firms in Uzbekistan, including growth in Chinese-Uzbek joint ventures and wholly owned Chinese companies to 6,060 in H1 2026. It also cites accelerating growth in Chinese business counts, from 2,241 in 2022 to 3,357 in 2024, with the total almost doubling after that period.
OilPrice adds that Chinese tourism to Uzbekistan is rising as well, with arrivals by Chinese citizens reaching 223,479 in H1 2026. For all of 2025, the figure was 278,900, and it was 74,300 the year before, after a visa free short term regime was introduced in mid 2025.