On Oct. 18, Prime Minister of Tajikistan Qohir Rasulzoda met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is on an official visit to Tajikistan, in Dushanbe.

During an expanded meeting attended by official delegations from both countries, Rasulzoda said relations between Tajikistan and China have reached a high level, thanks to the political will and efforts of the two countries’ leaders.

“The state visit of the president of the Republic of Tajikistan to the People’s Republic of China, which took place in May of this year, opened new chapters in the history of friendly relations between our countries,” Rasulzoda said.

He noted that more than 30 agreements were signed following high-level meetings and negotiations during the visit. The two countries’ leaders also signed a joint statement on deepening comprehensive cooperation and strategic partnership in a new era, as well as a treaty on good-neighborliness, eternal friendship and cooperation.

Rasulzoda expressed hope that the documents would further strengthen the legal and political foundations for friendly relations and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

Li said China supports expanding friendly relations and the strategic partnership with Tajikistan.

“Our relations have stood the test of time, and we are prepared to strengthen mutual trust and pass this fine tradition on from generation to generation,” Li said.

The two sides identified trade, economic cooperation and investment as priorities for further developing their strategic partnership.

Discussions focused on strengthening Tajikistan’s export capacity, diversifying its products and increasing exports to China. The parties also emphasized the importance of signing new protocols to expand the list of products eligible for export and improve access to the Chinese market for Tajik producers.

Industrial development and raw material processing were identified as priority areas. The two sides discussed measures to develop the textile industry, including establishing joint ventures for cotton processing and the production of finished goods. They also highlighted opportunities to expand cooperation in the food and processing industries.

The parties expressed interest in expanding tourism ties, attracting investment in Tajikistan’s tourism infrastructure and strengthening cooperation in health care.

Following the meeting, the sides signed five documents:

An agreement on development cooperation between the governments of Tajikistan and China.

A memorandum of understanding on vocational education cooperation between Tajikistan’s Committee for Primary and Secondary Vocational Education and China’s Ministry of Education.

A memorandum of understanding on facilitating cooperation in infrastructure and engineering construction.

A memorandum of understanding on preventing and combating corruption between Tajikistan’s Agency for State Financial Control and Combating Corruption and China’s National Supervisory Commission.

A memorandum of cooperation on standardization between Tajikistan’s Agency for Standardization, Metrology, Certification and Trade Inspection and China’s State Administration for Market Regulation.

As part of his official visit, Li is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states on Oct. 20 in Dushanbe.