More of Uzbekistan's young people are starting to learn Chinese due to their interest in Chinese history and culture. More than 3,000 Uzbek youngsters have studied Mandarin at the Confucius Institute in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, over the past 10 years.

Meanwhile, more Chinese tourists are visiting Uzbekistan. The two governments have signed tourism deals and Chinese cultural groups are traveling to Uzbekistan for music festivals and fashion events in Samarkand.

However, Sun said there is much to be done to improve bilateral cooperation.

"Take the construction of transportation facilities for example," the envoy said. "Cooperation on rail transportation has been somewhat delayed amid the increasing trade volume."

Wu said: "The main barrier to cooperation on railways is the difference in gauges. We have to redesign tracks and locomotives to fix the Uzbek standard if this cooperation is to be accomplished."

Ding Peihua, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said that although such a barrier exists, there is great potential for cooperation in the railways sector.

Uzbekistan's "backward" railway infrastructure keeps it from being a transportation hub connecting China and Central Asia, but China has great experience in rail construction. "Therefore, I believe we can do more in the rail sector," Ding said.

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