China and Uzbekistan are deepening cooperation to address desertification.

On Tuesday, a video conference titled “China (Ninsya) - Uzbekistan” on the prevention and control of desertification was held, The Caspian Post reports, citing Xinhua.

During the meeting, the parties shared their views and outlined plans for further collaboration.

The event was jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Ninsya-Huey Autonomous Region (НХАР), and the НХАР Department of Forestry and Steppe Management.

Participants highlighted that both countries face similar challenges, including drought, water scarcity, and the management of saline soils, while emphasizing their shared commitment to environmental protection and ecological development.

НХАР is surrounded by the Mu-Us, Tengar, and Ulan-Bukh deserts. Desert lands in the region cover 2.64 million hectares, and sandy lands account for 1 million hectares, representing 50.7% and 19.3% of its territory, respectively. Efforts to combat desertification have made НХАР the first provincial-level region in China to report a decrease in these figures.

In June 2025, during the “China - Central Asia” summit, it was announced that a Center for Cooperation on the Prevention of Desertification would be established in НХАР.

The conference included participation from Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to China, Farkhod Arziev, who earlier in 2026 visited the Baitzitan National Nature Reserve and the Professional-Technical University of НХАР. Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Yui Jun noted that relations between the two countries are at the level of an all-weather strategic partnership, stressing that ecological cooperation and anti-desertification efforts have significant potential and serve the interests of both peoples. He also called for leveraging existing bilateral and multilateral frameworks to implement concrete projects.