The Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held talks with the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

A wide range of issues pertaining to further developing the Tajikistan-Chinese strategic partnership, good-neighborly relations and friendly cooperation were discussed during the meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, President Emomali Rahmon thanked the Chinese government for its invitation to take part in the forum and noted that he is pleased to have this opportunity to discuss the current state of bilateral relations, their development prospects and other aspects of regional and international relations.

Tajikistan and China have established political, economic and humanitarian ties at the level of strategic alliance, which offers greater possibilities for implementing the previously reached agreements.

President Emomali Rahmon emphasized the China’s positive role in promoting the economic development of Tajikistan and the progress achieved in the implementation of projects related to its industrialization. The leader of Tajikistan welcomed the increasing volume of trade turnover, the development of the national economy, the effective implementation of the national development strategy and other areas beneficial to both countries.

The heads of state noted the importance of the effective integration within the framework of the One Belt, One Road initiative.

Supplying environmentally healthy fruit and vegetables to the Chinese markets, attracting Chinese capital for the development of various fields, such as mining, energy, transportation, and the agricultural sector, the need for the establishment of the Tajik-Chinese investment fund for financially supporting small and medium-sized industrial projects, cooperation in the transport and transit area with the creation of roads of regional importance and the establishment of joint ventures for mineral processing were likewise discussed during the meeting.

The counterparts also exchanged their views on enhancing cooperation in the fields of education, culture and tourism.

The prospects of their cooperation within international organizations, such as the UN, SCO and others were likewise noted.

Both sides expressed their readiness to continue the joint measures in the fight against terrorism, extremism, illicit drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime. In this context, the two sides emphasized the need to expand and deepen bilateral security collaboration in order to ensure the security of the region, considering the intensification of the activities of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

This year, China will celebrate the 70th anniversary of its formation and in this regard, the President Emomali Rahmon wished China greater prosperity.