Making his first trip abroad since a bloody crackdown on protesters, Uzbek President Islam Karimov left Tuesday on a visit to China, which has provided a rare note of support for the authoritarian Central Asian leader. Karimov, who has rebuffed international calls for an independent inquiry into the May 13 bloodshed, apparently looked to his trip to underline that China is on his side. On Tuesday, Beijing said it "firmly" backed his actions in crushing anti-government demonstrators.