Uzbekistan's Deepening Ties with China Fuels Public Debate

Rumors that the Uzbek government is handing over farmland to Chinese investors keep bubbling up despite repeated and categorical denials from officials, putting Tashkent in an uncomfortable spot. The latest flare up came after a video made the rounds online purporting to show a local agricultural official threatening that the government would hand unproductive farmland over to Chinese investors, local outlet Kun.uz reported in mid-June. The employee quickly walked back the comments and the Ministry of Agriculture strongly denied anything of the…