BUKHARA, Uzbekistan, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the ancient city of Bukhara in central-southern Uzbekistan on Tuesday, starting his state visit to this Central Asian country.
Bukhara is a city-museum with a history of more than 2,500 years. Located along the route of the ancient Silk Road, the city has long served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture and religion. UNESCO listed the Historic Center of Bukhara, which boasts numerous mosques, as a World Heritage Site in 1993.
Xi will later travel to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent, where he will hold talks with his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, on promoting bilateral relations and jointly building the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt, as well as on major international and regional issues.
In Tashkent, Xi will also attend the 16th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State on June 23 and 24.
Uzbekistan is the third and final stop of Xi's ongoing three-nation tour, which has taken him to Serbia and Poland.
