Uzbekistan’s Achievement from Chinese Investment
Investment plans for the development and equipping of infrastructure in various countries, which the Chinese have been implementing for years, have led to China’s extensive influence in these countries. By indebting these countries, the presence of questionable security forces and not-so-reliable Chinese workers has raised additional concerns. In many countries, Chinese projects either did not reach completion or were left unfinished. China has limited these large projects, known as the One Belt One Road initiative, in recent years due to a slowdown in its own economic growth. However, it cannot be denied that in many countries, various infrastructures have been equipped and strengthened with Chinese money, and their impact is clearly visible. Countries like Kenya are prime examples of gaining public favor and support with a few roads and railways, which were long-desired facilities by the people. The collaboration of Chinese investment for equipping Uzbekistan with clean energy is one of the recent examples of achievements and positive impact in this area. Uzbekistan has now completed the first phase of unveiling electricity production from clean sources for its people, with a power plant generating 22 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is expected to be operational by the end of this calendar year. This amount of energy is sufficient for the consumption of less than one million Uzbek households. A $140 million investment in this project has also been accompanied by cooperation with Huawei to provide both the necessary capital and technology with essential hardware to the Uzbeks. This is the first stage of Uzbekistan’s major government plans to maximize energy production from clean sources and achieve maximum independence from energy imports. The Chinese have agreed to continue cooperation with the Uzbeks and establish other power plants, such as hydroelectric power plants.