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Uzbek President Islam Karimov and Chinese President Hu Jintao kicked off Karimov's visit to Beijing on May 27 by overseeing the signing of 14 agreements enhancing cooperation between the countries. The agreements will enhance bilateral cooperation in energy exploration, trade, technology and regional security measures.
Karimov has come under harsh criticism from the international community after last week's crackdown on riots in Andijan, while China finds itself surrounded by U.S.-backed neighbors. Thus, increased cooperation and geopolitical support between the countries becomes essential to Beijing's and Tashkent's attempts to keep the United States from infringing on their respective sovereignties. These agreements signify far more than their content alone would indicate.
Uzbekistan's reaction to the riots has caused its pool of potential international supporters -- China, India, Russia and the West -- to dwindle. India is too distant and too geopolitically weak to serve as a strong partner for Uzbekistan. The West -- led largely by the United States and the United Kingdom -- disapproves of the Karimov regime, and has called for an international investigation of the crimes allegedly committed by the Uzbek government. Uzbekistan has written off ties with the West because, according to Uzbek diplomatic sources, Tashkent believes that the United States -- in conjunction with Islamist militants -- has already tried to overthrow Karimov's regime. As for Russia, it too has recently joined the international chorus calling for an international investigation into the Andijan incident.
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