Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Uzbek President Islam Karimov was among friends when he met Chinese leaders on Wednesday in Beijing, this despite UN and international criticism for his government's repression of the Uzbek population.

In his first visit abroad following the massacres of Andijian and Pahktaabad, Mr Karimov was welcomed by Chinese President Hu Jintao as "an old friend of the Chinese people". Karimov, whose visit ends on May 27, was received with all the fanfare reserved for great state visits. He is scheduled to meet Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

The clashes between security forces and protesters in Uzbekistan that occurred around May 18 saw hundreds of people killed: 169 according to official sources; about 700 according to eyewitness accounts.

Despite this, China's support to the current Uzbek government is total. On the eve of Karimov's visit, Kong Quan, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said: "As to what has happened recently in Uzbekistan, it is the internal affairs of the country [. . .]. We have all along firmly supported the efforts of the Uzbek Government to fight the three forces of terrorists, separatists and extremists.

China, Uzbekistan, Russia and other Central Asian countries belong to the Shanghai cooperation Organisation which monitors security issues related to Islamic terrorism.

The Uzbek President blamed Islamic fundamentalists for the recent protests, claiming they were trying to overthrow his government, and refused a commission of inquiry as requested by the United Nations.

In the meantime, Uzbek sources told AsiaNews that the areas where the deadly clashes took place are now under tight government control and off-limits to the media. Only scant information is reaching the Uzbek capital of Tashkent from there.

Sources say that the government has been conducting a widespread propaganda campaign against Islamic fundamentalists and is resorting to every means at its disposal to control the Muslim population which is receiving important aid from abroad.

"The Deputy Prime Minister said that all unregistered Islamic organisations will be shut down in accordance with the Religions Act," the sources said.

The United States has also started distancing itself from the Uzbek President despite its alliance with the regime.

US military bases on Uzbek soil played an important role in the war against the Talebans and in the fighting al-Qaeda militants in neighbouring Afghanistan

For some analysts, Karimov is trying to use the visit to show that he is backed by China in addition to Russia.

For its part, Beijing is using it to reinforce its alliance with Uzbekistan as it confronts Islamic terrorism and fights Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim population inhabiting the western province of Xinjiang. For some time now, Uyghurs have waged a battle for independence from Beijing. (PB)