BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is scheduled to arrive here Thursday for a state visit and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Following are some facts about Mirziyoyev:
Mirziyoyev was born in Jizzakh region, Uzbekistan, in July 1957. He graduated from the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Melioration in 1981 and worked there.
Trained as a mechanical engineer, he began his political career in 1992. He served as governor of Jizzakh and later governor of Samarkand region.
In December 2003, he was appointed the country's prime minister and served until December 2016.
On Sept. 8, 2016, he was appointed acting president by the Supreme Assembly after the death of long-time leader Islam Karimov. On Dec. 5, 2016, he was elected president.
