Wang Yi and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon Pledge to Expand Bilateral Cooperation

Dushanbe, The Gulf Observer: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Saturday, with both sides committing to broaden bilateral cooperation across various sectors.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, conveyed the cordial greetings and good wishes of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Rahmon. He emphasized the deep traditional friendship between China and Tajikistan, which are linked by mountains and rivers. The two nations have consistently respected and supported each other, treating each other as equals and extending mutual support during critical moments.

In May of the previous year, President Rahmon attended the China-Central Asia Summit and conducted a state visit to China, during which both leaders announced the creation of a China-Tajikistan community characterized by everlasting friendship, solidarity, and mutual benefit. This declaration set a clear goal for the development of bilateral relations and sent a positive message to both nations and the global community, Wang noted.

Wang reaffirmed China’s unwavering support for Tajikistan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and its opposition to external interference in Tajikistan’s internal affairs. He assured that regardless of international changes, China would remain Tajikistan’s trustworthy friend and partner.

President Rahmon, reciprocating the greetings to President Xi, reflected on his visit to China, where he and Xi had extensive discussions on bilateral cooperation, reaching significant consensuses. Rahmon highlighted that these consensuses are now being implemented, yielding important results in various fields.

Emphasizing the priority of fostering relations with China in Tajikistan’s foreign policy, Rahmon reiterated Tajikistan’s firm adherence to the one-China principle, acknowledging Taiwan as an inalienable part of China. He expressed a desire to maintain close high-level exchanges with China and enhance cooperation in fields such as economy and trade, energy, minerals, transportation, agriculture, green industry, and artificial intelligence. He also stressed the importance of jointly combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism, and continuously strengthening the strategic partnership between Tajikistan and China.

Rahmon noted China’s significant role in international and regional affairs and expressed Tajikistan’s willingness to closely coordinate with China and support each other on multilateral platforms.

Wang expressed China’s firm support for Tajikistan’s four development strategies: energy, transportation, food, and industrialization. He emphasized China’s commitment to meeting Tajikistan’s cooperation needs and expanding cooperation in emerging industries to enhance Tajikistan’s economic development.

China is also eager to deepen security cooperation with Tajikistan to combat all forms of terrorism, Wang added. The two countries will strengthen collaboration in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the China-Central Asia mechanism to safeguard their common interests and contribute to regional and global prosperity and stability.

During his visit, Wang is also scheduled to hold talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin.