(Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)
Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks on Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who is on a state visit to China.
Xi congratulated Tajikistan on its 35th anniversary of independence and major achievements in national development. He stressed that unwavering mutual support is the defining characteristic of China-Tajikistan relations. No matter how the external environment changes, China and Tajikistan will always remain good neighbors who help each other, good friends who trust each other and good partners who work together for development, Xi said.
The signing of the Treaty of Permanent Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between China and Tajikistan will fully demonstrate the high-level political mutual trust between the two countries and lay the foundation for everlasting friendship between China and Tajikistan, Xi noted.
He added that China is willing to work with Tajikistan to build a closer China-Tajikistan community with a shared future, and bring more benefits to the people of the two countries.
Xi stressed that China will, as always, support Tajikistan in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and respecting its national independence, sovereignty and security.
This year, China begins the implementation of its 15th Five-Year Plan. Tajikistan, for its part, is continuing its 2030 National Development Strategy. He called on both sides to focus on high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, fully align their development strategies and work together to advance their respective development goals.
He also called on the two sides to build on the strong momentum generated by economic and trade cooperation, further exploit the potential of cooperation, and increase the scale and quality of trade and investment, adding that the two sides should ensure the implementation of key projects, expand cooperation in the fields of green energy, digital economy, smart cities, and artificial intelligence to stimulate scientific and technological innovation.
He called on the two sides to deepen people-to-people exchanges and cultivate a new model of subnational cooperation to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. The two sides should strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation, take firm measures against the “three evil forces” of terrorism, extremism and separatism, and work together to maintain regional stability, he said.
China congratulates Tajikistan on becoming a new signatory of the International Organization for Mediation (IOMed) and stands ready to strengthen cooperation within the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the China-Central Asia Mechanism and other frameworks, so as to promote true multilateralism and work to build a fairer and more equitable global governance system, Xi noted.
Highlighting the continued deepening of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Tajikistan and China in the new era, Rahmon said cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, transportation and agriculture has borne fruit, major projects are proceeding smoothly, and people-to-people exchanges have been intensified, bringing benefits to the people of the two countries.
He noted that the signing of the Treaty of Permanent Good Neighborhood, Friendship and Cooperation between Tajikistan and China marks the beginning of a new historic stage in bilateral relations and will open new prospects for long-term cooperation between the two countries.
Rahmon said Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and Tajikistan firmly adheres to the one-China principle. Tajikistan is willing to work with China to strengthen pragmatic cooperation in areas such as critical minerals, artificial intelligence and scientific and technological innovation, facilitate personal visits between the two countries, intensify educational exchanges and promote further development of bilateral relations, he noted.
Noting that the Global Governance Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping has important significance for the world, he said Tajikistan highly appreciates China’s tireless efforts in promoting the political settlement of sensitive international issues and its important role in easing the situation in the Middle East.
He said Tajikistan is ready to strengthen multilateral cooperation with China and jointly counter the “three evil forces” of terrorism, extremism and separatism, as well as transnational crime, to maintain regional stability.
Following the meeting, the two heads of state signed and issued the Treaty of Permanent Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Tajikistan and the Joint Declaration between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Tajikistan on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Partnership in the New Era. The two heads of state also witnessed the signing of more than ten cooperation agreements in areas such as inter-party exchanges, economy, trade and investment, artificial intelligence, green mining and media.
During the visit, the two sides also signed more than ten cooperation agreements, including in the fields of agriculture, culture, education, housing construction, inspection and quarantine, and market surveillance.
Before their meeting, Xi welcomed Rahmon at the square in front of the East Gate of the Great Hall of the People. A welcome banquet was then offered in his honor in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People.
