President Xi Jinping invites Uzbekistan friends to go to Xi'an

On September 9, President Xi Jinping, on a state visit to Uzbekistan, was accompanied by President Islam Karimov to visit historical and cultural monuments of the capital, Tashkent, before going into the second largest city in the country , Samarkand , in search of the depth of the history of cultural exchanges among different ethnic groups of the ancient Silk Road , to jointly promote the cultural exchanges between China and Central Asia.

During his visit, Xi Jinping was extremely attentive to what he saw and followed the enthusiastic explanations of President Karimov. A map has particularly attracted the attention of President Xi. Islam Karimov said that it was a map of the ancient Silk Road. At the time of Tamerlane, Samarkand was the capital, the hub of the ancient Silk Road, and this is where his family is. Xi Jinping then pointed a place on the right of the map: Xi'an was the starting point of the Silk Road, and also the birthplace of his family.

Leaving the museum, President Xi told Karimov "Today's visit has left me a lot of inspiration. Tomorrow I will also visit the historic city, Samarkand. I look forward to experiencing more splendid culture of Uzbekistan, to immerse myself in the long relationship between Uzbekistan and ancient Chinese and deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples."

On the morning of September 10, Xi Jinping arrived in Samarkand. President Karimov was at the airport to greet him.The two heads of state are first arriving at the Memorial of Ulugh　Beg. In front of the maps of the old Silk Road , the guide told the story of zhang Qian, envoy of the Chinese Han Dynasty, who was captured and taken to Fergana (today's Uzbekistan). Xi Jinping said that he hoped that this story can be widely disseminated and Uzbekistan friend are welcome to come to China and visit Xi'an.

Out of the Observatory, the two heads of state then mounted on top of a high tower for a view of the city of Samarkand, which is surrounded by mountains. Islam Karimova said to Xi Jinping that "when we are side by side, the spirits of our two peoples meet, Samarkand and Xi'an become closer." For his part, Xi Jinping said "We crossed the space, as if we had traveled on the old Silk Road."