Key facts
- CGTN published roughly 70 articles and videos in Uzbek and Russian on China-Uzbekistan ties in late October and early November.
- CGTN is operated by the Communist Party's Central Propaganda Department, according to the report.
- The campaign followed Rubio's October talks in Samarkand with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian states.
- A trade fair tied to the Samarkand visit reportedly produced over 50 US-Uzbek deals valued at up to $12 billion.
- One campaign segment covered the launch of a Chinese edition of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's book on Uzbekistan's development.
- CGTN had typically published only a few items a month about Uzbekistan in previous months, the report said.
China's international broadcaster CGTN ran an information campaign promoting ties with Uzbekistan in late October and early November 2026, publishing roughly 70 articles and videos in the Uzbek and Russian languages. The items covered political, economic, cultural and social links and featured comments from Chinese and Uzbek officials, entrepreneurs, scholars and artists, according to the report by Eurasianet.
The campaign followed an October visit by US Secretary Marco Rubio and a delegation of US business executives to Samarkand, where Rubio held talks with the foreign ministers of all five Central Asian states on building a US-supported trans-Caspian trade network. A trade fair tied to the visit reportedly yielded over 50 deals between American companies and Uzbek entities valued at up to $12 billion.
"The United States wants to be a strong partner in Central Asia, obviously rooted in this country, but also all the neighboring countries who want to do more business and trade with us," Rubio said at a news conference on Samarkand's Registan Square.
A day before Rubio's arrival, Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Tashkent for talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. A Chinese Foreign Ministry statement cited Li as saying: "China stands ready to strengthen strategic communication with Uzbekistan, continue to firmly support each other's core interests [and] expand mutually beneficial cooperation."
One segment of the CGTN campaign covered the launch ceremony of a Chinese edition of Mirziyoyev's book on Uzbekistan's development. CGTN had typically published only a few items a month about Uzbekistan in previous months, the report said.