Mirziyoyev touts Russia nuclear plant, tripled trade at SPIEF; Hong Kong signs visa-free deal
At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev highlighted the launch of Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant, built with Russia's Rosatom, calling it a 'historic' foundation for the country's energy security amid surging electricity demand. He said bilateral trade with Russia has more than tripled over the past decade, evolving from simple goods exchange into industrial chains and technology alliances. Separately, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee visited Uzbekistan as part of a Central Asia tour, signing a mutual 30-day visa-free agreement and deals worth over $1.65 billion across the region, with more than 70 Hong Kong and Chinese firms participating. Tashkent also advanced parliamentary and economic cooperation talks with Malaysia.
Why it matters
Uzbekistan under Mirziyoyev is balancing deepening ties with Russia—including a sanctioned-era reliance on Russian nuclear and energy technology—against an aggressive courtship of Asian investment and connectivity partners like Hong Kong and China under the Belt and Road framework. The nuclear project, long-delayed since first agreed in the late 2010s, signals Tashkent's bet on Rosatom for baseload power as its economy grows over 5% annually, while the multi-vector outreach reflects its strategy of avoiding overdependence on any single power.