Xi Jinping begins state visit to Tajikistan, eyes new heights in bilateral cooperation

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon holds a grand welcoming ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, July 4, 2024. Xi arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. [Photo/Xinhua]

DUSHANBE — Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Tajikistan on Thursday evening, starting his state visit after a busy schedule at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon welcomed Xi at Dushanbe International Airport with a grand ceremony, during which about 1,500 Tajik youth in traditional dress danced and waved the national flags of China and Tajikistan.

Upon his arrival, Xi expressed his expectation of discussions with Rahmon to formulate new plans and arrangements for the development of China-Tajikistan relations in light of the new circumstances.

Xi said that with concerted efforts from both countries, the visit is expected to be a complete success, lifting the comprehensive cooperation between China and Tajikistan to new heights.

President Xi's state visit to Tajikistan will inject new and strong impetus into the development and strengthening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Rahmon told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Rahmon also said that China-Tajikistan relations have entered a new historical stage, opening up new prospects for in-depth cooperation.

In recent years, the two heads of state have had close exchanges. During his visit to Tajikistan in 2019, Xi received the Order of the Crown from Rahmon in Dushanbe. The two countries have pledged to build a China-Tajikistan community of development and security.

In May 2023, at the China-Central Asia Summit, the two leaders jointly announced the building of a China-Tajikistan community with a shared future featuring everlasting friendship, solidarity and mutual benefit.

“These joint initiatives and decisions aimed at creating a community have already yielded tangible results,” said Abdugaffor Abdujabbor, former head of the international relations department of the Ministry of Culture of Tajikistan.

Abdujabbor highlighted two Chinese-built buildings on Rudaki Avenue, Dushanbe's main thoroughfare: the government building and the parliament building, calling them new landmarks of the capital.

“This is the fruit of the friendship between our two leaders,” he told Xinhua. “They share great sympathy, pure friendship and mutual understanding.”

“Xi Jinping's words match his actions; what he says is always reflected in practice,” he added.

Tajikistan is a neighbor of China. Trade between China and Tajikistan doubled between 2013 and 2023. China has become Tajikistan's largest source of investment and its second largest trading partner.

Tajikistan was one of the first countries to support the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Xi Jinping in 2013 and sign cooperation agreements with China. Under this initiative, a series of cooperation and aid projects have been implemented between China and Tajikistan in key areas such as infrastructure, metallurgy, energy, cement and cotton textile industry.

“The space for practical cooperation between China and Tajikistan is vast and the prospects are promising,” Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Ji Shumin told Xinhua.

The two countries firmly support each other on issues concerning their core interests, Ji said. Both countries have suffered from the “three evil forces” of terrorism, extremism and separatism and advocate a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, he added.

On the streets of Dushanbe, many young people speak Chinese, and it is common to hear locals greet visitors from China with “Nihao,” which means “hello” in Mandarin.

“In Tajikistan, there is a growing interest in China, in studying the Chinese experience of modernization, Chinese culture and language,” said Abdurakhim Juraev, a professor at the Tajik State University of Law, Business and Politics in Khujand.

In recent years, the number of Tajik students attending Confucius Institutes in their country or studying in China has increased significantly. Take the Confucius Institute at the National University of Tajikistan, for example. Since its establishment in August 2008, the institute has trained nearly 39,000 students in Chinese.

The Luban Workshop in Tajikistan, co-founded by Tianjin College of Urban Construction Management and Vocational Technology in China and Tajik Technical University, trains skilled professionals, contributing to Tajikistan's vocational education, industrialization and modernization efforts.

President Xi's visit, Juraev said, will give new impetus to cooperation between the two countries and contribute to the overall prosperity of Central Asia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is warmly welcomed by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and a group of senior Tajik officials upon his arrival at the airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, July 4, 2024. Xi arrived on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon holds a grand welcoming ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, July 4, 2024. Xi arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. [Photo/Xinhua]

A Tajik child offers flowers to Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival at the airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, July 4, 2024. Xi arrived on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. Xi was warmly welcomed by Rahmon and a group of senior Tajik officials upon his arrival. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon holds a grand welcoming ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, July 4, 2024. Xi arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. [Photo/Xinhua]

This photo taken on July 4, 2024 shows three Kazakh Air Force planes escorting Chinese President Xi Jinping's plane after it took off. Xi arrived in Dushanbe on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. Xi landed in Dushanbe after attending the 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana and a state visit to Kazakhstan. [Photo/Xinhua]

A grand welcoming ceremony is held by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to greet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Dushanbe airport in Tajikistan, July 4, 2024. Xi arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. [Photo/Xinhua]

A grand welcoming ceremony is held by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to greet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Dushanbe airport in Tajikistan, July 4, 2024. Xi arrived here on Thursday for a state visit to Tajikistan. [Photo/Xinhua]