Businesspeople from Nantong and Samarkand Region talk with each other. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

An economic and trade delegation from Samarkand Region, Uzbekistan, visited Nantong, Jiangsu province, on May 29 to explore opportunities for collaboration.

Samarkand is a pivotal region along the Silk Road, while Nantong is located at the intersection of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Both sides are highly complementary in terms of resources and industrial structure.

The Hai'an Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine has joined two other institutions to build the China (Jiangsu) – Uzbekistan TCM Center, and since last year, Nantong and Uzbekistan have reached multiple consensuses in home textiles, apparel, construction, machinery, new materials, and new energy.

"Chinese people like to live and work close to each other and therefore, we have planned a 2,000-hectare industrial park for them," noted Oybek Khamraye, deputy governor of Samarkand Region, at a meeting with representatives from Nantong government departments and businesses.

After giving a briefing on the regional advantages and abundant resources of Samarkand Region, Khamraye expressed a desire to expand cooperation with Nantong in textiles, agriculture and construction.

An official from the Nantong municipal bureau of commerce revealed that they will encourage local enterprises to invest in Samarkand. He also welcomed Samarkand's entrepreneurs to start businesses in Nantong.