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Under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has been implementing large-scale reforms aimed at preserving, researching, digitizing, and presenting its cultural heritage to the global community through modern formats. These efforts are laying the foundation for new avenues of international cooperation for the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan.

The official visit of the delegation led by Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, to the People’s Republic of China is a practical reflection of these objectives. As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation toured the National Museum of Archaeology under the Chinese Academy of History.

Established in 2023 at the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the museum is a unique scientific and educational institution showcasing nearly 7,000 years of China’s history. Its exhibitions trace the development of Chinese civilization from its earliest stages to the present day through archaeological discoveries, rare artifacts, and advanced multimedia technologies. During the visit, members of the delegation explored the museum's collections and exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation between the two institutions.

During the meeting, Museum Director Liu Guoxiang expressed his readiness to establish cooperation with the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan. He emphasized his particular interest in conducting joint archaeological research with Uzbek scholars, organizing exchanges of specialists, and strengthening ties between the scientific institutions of the two countries through the sharing of expertise and experience.

Firdavs Abdukhalikov expressed his sincere gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality, noting that in recent years the leaders of Uzbekistan and China have attached special importance to strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, particularly in the fields of preserving and studying cultural heritage. He also emphasized that the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan is a major spiritual, educational, and scientific project established at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He provided detailed information about the Center’s activities, its exhibition concept, and the international initiatives currently being implemented.

He further announced that the Center is scheduled to be presented at the United Nations Headquarters later this year. Stressing that the Center is dedicated not only to showcasing Islamic civilization but also to highlighting the legacy of the great civilizations that preceded it, Firdavs Abdukhalikov noted that the ancient civilizations of Khorezm, Bactria, Sogdiana, and Chach made significant contributions to the development of human civilization. He also emphasized that these regions had long maintained strong trade, cultural, and scholarly ties with China through the Great Silk Road.

During the meeting, Farhod Maqsudov, Director of the National Center of Archaeology of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, also addressed the participants. He spoke about the prospects for expanding joint scientific research between Uzbekistan and China in the fields of archaeology, history, and cultural heritage, as well as organizing joint archaeological expeditions and strengthening cooperation in the training of specialists.

Hou Aijun, a researcher at the Institute of World History of China, noted that he had maintained productive cooperation with Uzbek historians for many years. He shared that his three-month participation in a joint research project with the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan had provided him with valuable academic experience and expressed his interest in further deepening cooperation between scholars from the two countries.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their readiness to further expand cooperation in the fields of archaeology, history, museology, and cultural heritage studies by promoting joint research projects, organizing exhibitions, and establishing exchanges of specialists.