Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Nooruddin Azizi has called for stronger trade and economic cooperation with Uzbekistan and China, focusing on developing new transit corridors and expanding investment opportunities.

Azizi, along with representatives of Afghanistan’s private sector and a number of Afghan officials, attended the Surkhandarya-China Trade Forum, hosted by the International Trade Center in Termez, Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement on Sunday, The Kabul Times reported.

Addressing the forum, Azizi emphasized the importance of strengthening trade and economic relations, establishing new transit routes linking Afghanistan with Central Asia and China, and expanding joint cooperation to create new opportunities for investment among the three countries.

He described China as one of Afghanistan’s key economic partners and an important country in strengthening trade connectivity between East Asia, Central Asia and South Asia.