Anti-Chinese sentiment is rising in Uzbekistan. The government is sufficiently concerned about the animosity directed at the country’s largest trading partner that officials are mounting a media campaign to tamp down public expressions of loathing for Beijing. 

Influential social media channels stoked anti-Chinese sentiment in February with reports that Chinese entities and individuals were buying up properties in major Uzbek cities, including the capital Tashkent, as well as buying choice parcels of land to engage in mining and agricultural ventures. Many social media commentaries, including a post on the Demokrat UZ YouTube channel that received over 1 million views, contained a menacing underlying premise that China’s growing economic presence posed a threat to Uzbekistan’s sovereignty.

The Demokrat UZ report was headlined: “The Chinese are not just coming in, they’re taking over.”  Another YouTube commentary by Fazliddin Shahobiddin, an influencer who reflects on current affairs from a pious Islamic perspective, flatly stated that “Uzbekistan is being bought up by China.” That post generated over 1.8 million views; a solid majority of the 12,000 comments it received echoed Shahobiddin’s anti-Beijing message, with some calling on fellow Uzbeks to “wake up” to the perceived Chinese threat.

China is Uzbekistan’s largest trading partner, although Tashkent ran up a large deficit in 2024. Total turnover last year amounted to $13.8 billion, with the value of Uzbek exports to China ($2 billion) dwarfed by the $11.8 billion in Chinese imports. In addition, China is Uzbekistan’s largest single creditor: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s administration, which is taking on lots of debt to fund an economic modernization drive, owes Beijing at least $3.8 billion.

Given Tashkent’s economic reliance on China, the government wants to maintain a sense of strong domestic support for what officials have described as an “all-weather strategic partnership“ with China. Accordingly, state-aligned media outlets responded quickly with reports striving to counter the social media swarm of comments about Chinese encroachment.

Such reports emphasized that all foreigners, including Chinese citizens, are not allowed by law to own real estate. Foreigners and foreign entities are only able to lease property, as well as land.

“There has been a lot of discussion on social networks about Chinese citizens allegedly starting to buy up land in Tashkent,” stated one commentary. “Those who publish such posts on social networks do not seem to know how the system of providing land to foreigners in the country actually works.”

“Such rumors can not only confuse people, but also harm trust in the country’s laws,” the commentary added.

Observers note that Uzbekistan is routinely ranked by watchdog organizations as having an authoritarian-style political system. Freedom House, for example, in its most recent survey of global democratic practices rated Uzbekistan as “not free,” adding that “the legislature and judiciary effectively serve as instruments of the executive branch.” 

The initial state media effort to reassure Uzbeks did not appear to stem the social media-driven discontent, prompting the government to escalate its PR campaign. On March 11, the Uzbek government’s press secretary, Beksod Khidoyatov, gave interviews strongly endorsing the country’s close economic ties with China.

“Don’t give in to provocations,” read a headline of an item published by Kun.uz, which cited Khidoyatov as saying “China is a historical and strategic partner of Uzbekistan, which respects our territorial integrity and sovereignty. ... Thus, there is no reason to panic.”

“Thanks to the efforts of our president, the economy of Uzbekistan is developing, an open and pragmatic policy is being implemented,” Khidoyatov added. “Many investors invest in the country, and this is a natural process for a developing state.”