China's tug-of-war: Beijing accounts for nearly a quarter of Uzbekistan's foreign trade

China has strengthened its position as Uzbekistan's leading trading partner, accounting for almost a quarter of the country's foreign trade turnover. This is evidenced by data from the National Statistics Committee for the first half of 2026.

From January to June, trade between Uzbekistan and China reached $9.5 billion. This amount constitutes almost 25% of the country's total foreign trade turnover, which amounted to $41 billion during the same period.

For comparison, trade volumes with Uzbekistan's other key partners were distributed as follows:

* Russia — $7 billion;

* Kazakhstan — $2.8 billion;

* Turkey — $1.4 billion;

* Afghanistan — $1.1 billion;

* Republic of Korea — $940 million;

* France — $890.9 million;

* UAE — $807.7 million;

* Kyrgyzstan — $624.6 million;

Germany — $623.2 million.

Thus, China not only maintains its status as Uzbekistan's largest trading partner but also significantly surpasses Russia, with the difference in trade volumes between the two countries amounting to approximately $2.5 billion.

Overall, Uzbekistan's foreign trade dynamics present a mixed picture. From January to June 2026, foreign trade turnover increased by 7.4%, reaching $41 billion. However, this growth was primarily driven by increased imports.

Imports increased by 21% to $25.1 billion, while exports, conversely, decreased by 8.8% to $15.9 billion.

As a result, the foreign trade deficit nearly tripled over the year, from $3.4 billion to $9.3 billion.

Against the backdrop of the growing trade deficit, Uzbekistan's increasing dependence on its largest eastern and northern trading partners is becoming increasingly evident. China and Russia together account for approximately half of the country's total imports.

V. Novikov