Uzbekistan, China deepen strategic ties in free trade, oil, anti-terrorism

China and Uzbekistan pledged on Monday to deepen cooperation on energy and anti-terrorism, as President Xi Jinping continued his first visit to China's important Central Asian partner.

Diplomats said the two nations' relations, which have seen "explosive" growth since they established a strategic partnership in 2012, are based on the deep trust between the nations, and especially the leaders, which began two decades ago.