Beijing, Dushanbe to bolster trade ties

President Xi Jinping called on Tuesday for more practical achievements from the all-around cooperation between China and Tajikistan to build a high-quality community with a shared future.

Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit.

He emphasized that China is a trusted neighbor and partner for Tajikistan, firmly supporting Tajikistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and security.

Xi underlined the need for both sides to leverage the role of the mechanism of strategic dialogue between foreign ministers of China and Tajikistan to steer and promote cooperation in various fields. He called for expanding the scale of bilateral trade and investment, accelerating the construction of transportation infrastructure projects, and continuously enhancing mutual connectivity.

It is important to further enhance law enforcement and security cooperation between the two countries to intensify efforts to crack down on terrorism, separatism and extremism, he said.

Noting that China and Tajikistan have common interests in upholding multilateralism and defending the international economic and trade order, Xi called on both countries to strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral mechanisms such as the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism.

China supports Tajikistan in playing an important role in global climate governance, he added.

Rahmon hailed the great accomplishments China has made in social and economic development under Xi's leadership, as well as its important role in international affairs, and recalled Xi's historic state visit to Tajikistan last year.

Tajikistan is willing to maintain close high-level exchanges with China, strengthen strategic communication, enhance cooperation in traditional areas such as trade, investment, agriculture, and infrastructure construction, and expand cooperation in emerging areas such as new energy, green industry and artificial intelligence, Rahmon said.

Following their meeting, the two leaders witnessed the announcement of the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of foreign affairs, economy and trade, transportation, and science and technology.