Xi Jinping vows to support Tajikistan's territorial integrity

On a state visit, Mr Xi arrived in the Tajik capital Dushanbe on Thursday evening, from Kazakhstan where he attended the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and met Vladimir Putin in particular.

Central Asia is an essential link in China's New Silk Road project, a vast infrastructure project launched 10 years ago under the leadership of Xi Jinping.

Beijing is also seeking to benefit in the region from the fallout from Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which is causing former Soviet states to worry about a Russia that is sometimes seen as increasingly belligerent.

China will continue to firmly support Tajikistan's efforts to safeguard its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, Xi Jinping Emomali Rakhmon said during their meeting, according to Chinese state television CCTV.

The Chinese president also pledged to his counterpart that he would vigorously oppose any external interference in Tajikistan's internal affairs, under any pretext – without specifying which foreign force he was referring to.

Beijing has recently stepped up its diplomatic efforts in Central Asia, a region rich in hydrocarbons and crucial for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia, but also traditionally a land of Russian influence.

Once intimate

Welcomed with great pomp by a guard of honour, Xi Jinping on Friday warmly praised bilateral friendship during his meeting with his Tajik counterpart.

Thanks to the joint efforts of both sides, the political mutual trust between the two countries has continued to deepen, he congratulated Emomali Rakhmon, according to CCTV.

No matter how the international situation changes, China will always be a trustworthy friend, reliable partner and close brother of Tajikistan, Xi stressed.

The two men then announced the elevation of the level of diplomatic relations and Xi Jinping awarded Emomali Rakhmon the Order of Friendship, an honorary distinction offered to personalities who have promoted relations with China.

LOCS (Belarus, China, India, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan), founded in 2001 but which has gained new momentum in recent years under the impetus of Beijing and Moscow, is conceived as a platform for cooperation competing with Western organizations, with a security and economic focus.

At the summit held this week in Astana, Kazakhstan, Xi Jinping held discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and called on SCO member states to resist external interference.