Xinhua reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon today in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province.  Tajik leader is in China for a state visit and participation in the first China-Central Asia Summit.

In the course of the talks, Xi reportedly expressed his pleasure at meeting with his old friend in Xi’an and warmly welcomed Rahmon to China for the state visit and the summit.

According to Xinhua, he pointed out that since China and Tajikistan established diplomatic ties, the bilateral relationship has grown from one of good-neighborliness to a strategic partnership and then to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Xi recalled his state visit to Tajikistan in 2019, during which they jointly announced the building of a China-Tajikistan community of common development and security, which has seen encouraging progress over the past four years.

Xi reportedly underscored that China-Tajikistan relations enjoy deep historical roots, a solid political foundation, substantive cooperation and extensive public support.

To ensure a bright future for the two peoples, China is ready to work with Tajikistan under the new circumstances to enhance cooperation in various areas and build a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future featuring everlasting friendship, solidarity and mutual benefit, Xi was cited as saying.

Tajikistan and China have friendly relations characterized by bilateral and multilateral collaboration.  The two countries established formal relations on January 4, 1992, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

China is now among the three major trading partners of Tajikistan.  According to data from the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and China last year valued at 1,210,041,900 US dollars.  This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to China estimated at 368,334,600 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from China worth 841,707,300 US dollars.

Meanwhile, over the first four months of this year, the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and China has valued 458,491,100 US dollars.  This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to China estimated at 99,378,500 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from China worth 359,112,600 US dollars.          

Tajikistan and China are active members of the regional and international organizations and closely cooperate within the framework of these organizations, particularly the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), China swayed Tajikistan to combat the ‘three evils’ that are terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism.

The legal foundation of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries includes more than 200 interstate and intergovernmental agreements.

The governments of China and Tajikistan collaborate on security and military training; this collaboration has become stronger since the 2001 United States invasion of Afghanistan.  The two countries’ militaries have conducted joint military exercises since 2006.