On August 10, Hamza Boltaev, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Afghanistan and South Asian Studies at IAIS, took part in the online scientific conference “Pragmatic Cooperation between China and Central Asian Countries within the Framework of the SCO Summit”, organized by the Yunhe Institute for Strategy and Sustainable Development (China). The event brought together experts and scholars from China and Central Asia to discuss opportunities for deepening trade, connectivity, energy cooperation, and regional security within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

During the conference, Mr. Boltaev delivered a presentation titled “BRI in Uzbekistan: Challenges and Potential Solutions”, in which he outlined the key political and societal challenges of the Belt and Road Initiative in Uzbekistan, as well as practical recommendations for enhancing transparency, public awareness, and sustainability of BRI projects. His presentation emphasized the importance of balancing multilateral cooperation, addressing cultural differences, and creating mechanisms for knowledge transfer and local capacity building.

The conference served as a platform for open exchange of views on the prospects of pragmatic cooperation between China and the countries of Central Asia, and Hamza Boltaev’s contribution added an important perspective from Uzbekistan’s ongoing experience in the Belt and Road Initiative.