"Uzbek Farmers Say They're Being Forced to Surrender Land To Chinese Firms", 23 April 2025

Farmers in Uzbekistan say the government is forcing them to surrender land to Chinese businesses under the guise of state-backed development, taking thousands of hectares of fertile cotton and wheat fields out of the hands of locals.

...Official documents say the land transfers are voluntary. But dozens of accounts given to RFE/RL from those who signed over their land appear to describe a different reality: coercion, threats, and intimidation by Uzbek law enforcement officers acting on orders from local officials.

"The governor told me: 'This is a presidential order. Either give up the land or go to jail,'"...

...Land transfers in the Ferghana Valley, which is shared between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, are the latest flashpoint in what is becoming an increasingly visible and volatile undercurrent across Central Asia -- a surge of anti-Chinese sentiment driven by land disputes, debt dependency, labor market tensions, and fears of creeping influence.

...Regional administrations failed to comment on the claims by farmers when contacted by RFE/RL.

Concerns over China taking over the use of large swaths of land extend beyond the farming community.

Beijing's economic presence in Central Asia has grown rapidly in recent years under China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

As of early 2025, China is Uzbekistan's largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching $12.5 billion. Over 3,400 Chinese firms operate in the country, surpassing even the number of Russian entities.

Similar patterns have emerged in other Central Asian countries, such as Kazakhstan.