On November 22, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Leader of the Nation, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi, at the Palace of the Nation.

At the beginning of the conversation, President Emomali Rahmon stated that China is one of the key economic, trade and investment partners of Tajikistan, occupying a leading position in the system of foreign economic relations of our country.

In this regard, due attention was paid to the issue of expanding beneficial multifaceted cooperation within the framework of strategic partnership. Honorable Emomali Rahmon especially noted the importance of the results of a series of meaningful meetings with the President of the People’s Republic of China, Honorable Xi Jinping, this year.

In turn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, stated that “I am confident in the new achievements of your country and your capital. Rapid development is visible everywhere. Mr. President, as the founder of your state and the Leader of the Nation, you are striving wholeheartedly for the development of your country. You put people above all else. We highly value your concept of state management.”

Tajikistan’s support for new global initiatives of the Chinese top leadership, including the “Global Governance,” was emphasized.

The sides expressed satisfaction with the effective functioning of cooperation instruments in the political, economic, trade, cultural, and humanitarian spheres.

It was noted that in the first ten months of this year, the volume of bilateral trade amounted to more than two billion dollars.

It was noted that economic cooperation between the parties today covers important strategic sectors, including industry, especially mining, transport, as well as energy and agriculture.

The parties expressed their readiness to expand cooperation in the development of the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and the use of “green” technologies.

At the same time, Tajikistan’s interest in increasing the list and volume of agricultural exports to the Chinese market was voiced.

Joint cooperation between the countries in the field of security was a separate topic of discussion. In this context, special attention was paid to the issue of combating terrorism, extremism, religious radicalism, cybercrime, drug trafficking, and other manifestations of transnational organized crime.

The sides noted with satisfaction the continued development of cultural and humanitarian relations.

The Chinese Government was thanked for allocating state scholarships to Tajik students, and Tajikistan’s interest in increasing the number of quotas for Tajik citizens to study at Chinese universities in specialties that are in high demand in the country was stressed.

During the meeting, the parties also considered cooperation between the two countries within international and regional organizations. Specific aspects of cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as issues related to improving cooperation mechanisms in the Central Asian-China sphere, were discussed. Leader of the Nation expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for supporting the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Anti-Drug Center in Dushanbe.