Uzbekistan eyes deeper SCO integration beyond trade

August 28, 2026 (MLN): Uzbekistan is moving to strengthen its economic footprint within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as the bloc heads toward its 25th anniversary in 2026, with Tashkent's trade with fellow member states climbing 3.1 times over the past eight years to touch $40.6bn.

Trade between Uzbekistan and SCO nations stood at $12.9bn in 2017 and has since risen to $40.6bn in 2025, according to research by Ziyoda Rizaeva of the Center for Economic Research and Reforms, APP reported.

Exports edged up from $5.8bn to $10.65bn during the period, while imports nearly quadrupled from $7.1bn to close to $30bn, cementing the SCO's position as Uzbekistan's central foreign economic partner, accounting for roughly half of its total foreign trade by 2025.

China, Russia and Kazakhstan remain Tashkent's leading trade partners within the bloc, with trade turnover with China alone reaching $17.2bn.

Uzbekistan's exports to the region are dominated by fruits, vegetables, textiles, electrical goods and automotive parts, while its import basket largely comprises machinery, industrial equipment, raw materials and food products.

Investment flows have kept pace with trade growth.

Foreign investment and loans channeled into Uzbekistan's fixed capital totaled $33.5bn in 2025, of which manufacturing made up a third.

SCO member states alone contributed $17.5bn worth of investment during the year, with China accounting for the largest share at $13bn, followed by Russia at $2.6bn.

The organisation, which has expanded from its founding in 2001 to now include 10 member states and 17 partner countries, spans over 65% of Eurasia and is home to nearly 3.4bn people.

Its combined nominal GDP exceeds $26tr, giving it a share of more than a third of global GDP on a purchasing power parity basis.

Trade among SCO members nearly doubled between 2015 and 2024, rising from $271bn to $674bn.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, speaking at the 2025 SCO summit in Tianjin, called for the bloc to move beyond conventional trade toward joint ventures, technology transfer, industrial partnerships and raw material processing, pressing for stronger production and logistics chains alongside harmonised standards.

He also proposed a new "SCO Invest" forum to promote direct business cooperation, a step that materialised in 2026 with the SCO Investment and Business Forum held in Bishkek, which focused on innovation, the digital economy, artificial intelligence and new industrialisation.

Transport connectivity forms another pillar of the cooperation drive.

Given its geographic position, Uzbekistan functions as a transit hub linking major Eurasian trade corridors, with freight movement between Uzbekistan and SCO countries rising 40% over the past five years to 33.5mn tonnes in 2025.

The country's Ministry of Transport projects this volume could climb to 47mn tonnes by 2030.

Among the flagship infrastructure projects is the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, on which construction began in December 2024 and which is expected to cut transit distances by close to 900 kilometres while trimming delivery times by a week or more.

A separate Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan railway is under a feasibility study following a framework agreement signed in 2025, with both corridors intended to knit together a transport network connecting China, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indian Ocean ports.

Uzbekistan's cooperation agenda within the bloc is also broadening into technology, energy, environment, agriculture and tourism.

Tashkent has floated plans for an "SCO Network of Innovation and Technology Hubs" to advance artificial intelligence, big data, robotics and alternative energy, alongside an SCO Energy Consortium and regional platforms for climate adaptation and decarbonisation.

SCO countries collectively reached renewable energy capacity of over 2.3bn kilowatts by 2024.

Environmental cooperation under the bloc's framework centres on ecosystem monitoring, water resource management and restoration work in the Aral Sea region, complemented by agricultural collaboration aimed at strengthening food security.

Uzbekistan has additionally pitched humanitarian and tourism initiatives, including an online SCO university campus, innovation competitions, cultural dialogues and tourism corridors.

The 2025 Tianjin Summit marked a significant milestone with the adoption of the SCO Development Strategy through 2035 and a proposal to establish an SCO Development Bank, a new institution meant to finance infrastructure and industrial projects across member states, though its operating mechanisms remain under development.

The bloc's next phase of economic cooperation is expected to focus on converting political commitments into concrete projects, with emphasis on technological advancement, industrial localisation and transport infrastructure  a trajectory Tashkent hopes will reinforce its standing as a regional trade and transit hub.

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