China-Tajikistan relations to make further strides
Liu Bin
At
the invitation of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Chinese President Xi Jinping
will pay a state visit to Tajikistan in mid-June and attend the Conference on
Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
The
visit, Xi’s second state visit to Tajikistan, is bound to become a new
milestone in the development of China-Tajikistan relations and open new
prospects for CICA.
The
head-of-state diplomacy between the Chinese President and his Tajik counterpart
has continued to guide China-Tajikistan relations to grow at a fast pace.
The
development of China-Tajikistan relations embarked on a fast lane after
President Xi’s first state visit to Tajikistan in 2014. In 2017, the
relationship between the two countries was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic
partnership.
The
two heads of state have established a close working relationship and deep
personal friendship, made top-level design and strategic deployment of
bilateral relations and all-round cooperation, and further aligned the
China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with Tajikistan’s national
development strategy for the period up to 2030, taking bilateral relations into
the best time in the history.
The
construction of the BRI has advanced China-Tajikistan cooperation. Tajikistan
took the lead in supporting the BRI upon its proposal, and was the first
country to sign a cooperation agreement with China on joint construction of the
Belt and Road.
China
and Tajikistan have taken Belt and Road cooperation as the main axis, and
advanced their cooperation in economic and trade, investment, energy and
chemical industry, transportation and communication, mining and metallurgy,
infrastructure, agriculture and agricultural products processing.
At
present, more than 300 Chinese enterprises have invested in Tajikistan,
implementing a large number of high-quality projects to accelerate development
and benefit the people’s livelihood.
The
Chinese investments helped Tajikistan build its own cement, chemical
engineering, textile, electricity and transportation industries, and strongly
supported Tajikistan’s development plans to achieve energy independence, improve
transportation, realize food security and promote industrialization.
The
concept of “a community with a shared future for mankind” has drawn
China and Tajikistan closer.
The
Tajik side highly agrees with President Xi’s idea of building a community with
a shared future for mankind, and China firmly supports President Rahmon’s
internal and external policies for the development of the country and the
welfare of the people.
The
two countries have no historical disputes or conflict at present. They support
each other’s core interests, and coordinate and cooperate on the international
stage.
The
people-to-people bond between the two countries has been continuously
consolidated, and the friendship from generation to generation has been deeply
rooted in the hearts of two peoples.
The
China-Tajikistan relations have a solid foundation to move onto a new level.
President Xi’s upcoming visit will inject new impetus into the comprehensive
cooperation between the two countries and guide bilateral relations to a higher
level.
China
has made extraordinary contribution to advancing CICA. Since the establishment of
the mechanism 27 years ago, CICA has played a unique role in promoting peace
and stability in Asia and regional exchanges and cooperation.
China
has always played an important role in the development of CICA. It served as
the chairman of CICA between 2014 and 2018, successfully hosting important
events such as the Shanghai Summit and the CICA Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
China’s
proposal of a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security
strategy for Asia has been highly praised and widely recognized by all parties
concerned.
China
also initiated the CICA Non-governmental Forum, the CICA Business Council, and
the CICA Youth Council, and organized a number of training and expert forums,
which greatly enhanced CICA’s capability to promote dialogue and expanded the
mechanism’s global influence. As the former CICA chair and a friendly neighbor
of Tajikistan, China actively supports the Tajik side to run this conference well.
Currently,
Asian development faces complicated and severe challenges. Under this
circumstance, Xi’s attendance at the conference, a platform where leaders of
participating countries and heads of international organizations discuss plans
for Asia’s development, is an embodiment of China’s commitment to Asia and the
whole world.
China
will work with Asian countries, including Tajikistan, to further expand the
influence of CICA, enhance the overall cooperation level of the mechanism, and
advance the construction of a safe governance model with Asian characteristics.
By doing so, Asia, which is gaining increasing global attention, will embrace a
bright future with greater peace and prosperity.
(Liu Bin is the Chinese Ambassador
to Tajikistan.)
China-Tajikistan relations to make further strides
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