Ties with Tajikistan on solid foundation

Chinese president calls for advancing comprehensive strategic partnership

Equality, mutual trust and mutual benefit are the foundation of the China-Tajikistan friendship, which is rock solid and full of dynamism amid changing times and the international situation, President Xi Jinping said in a signed article published by Tajik media on Wednesday.

While calling for furthering bilateral ties, Xi also urged the two countries to strengthen strategic coordination in international affairs against the backdrop of the world facing rampant protectionism, unilateralism and rising uncertainty.

The Chinese president will arrive in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe for a state visit on Friday and will attend the fifth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia during his stay.

Calling Tajikistan one of China's closest partners in cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative, Xi said the two countries have become prime examples of pursuing shared prosperity on the basis of mutual synergy.

The two countries have trusted and respected each other over the past 27 years since they established diplomatic ties, and they have engaged in cooperation for mutual benefit, Xi said.

He hailed the two nations as good neighbors linked by mountains and waters, good friends who trust each other with all sincerity, good partners engaged in win-win cooperation and good brothers who support each other all the time.

"My visit will send the message that China is ever ready to work unremittingly with Tajikistan to create a brighter future for our friendship," Xi said.

As the world is undergoing profound changes, the Chinese president said, the China-Tajikistan comprehensive strategic partnership is facing opportunities for development and challenges more complex than ever before.

He underlined the need for the two countries to deepen policy communication and continue to support each other on major issues related to their core interests and major concerns with a view to consolidating the political foundation of Sino-Tajik relations for enduring, steady growth.

The two countries should refine their blueprint for Belt and Road cooperation, focus on strategic projects and give priority to cooperation in energy, transportation, agriculture and industry while continuously scaling up trade and investment, Xi said.

Saying that Tajikistan was the first country to sign a cooperation document with China on the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xi mentioned a number of BRI projects that have been carried out in the Central Asian country, including the Vahdat-Yavan railway connecting previously separate rail lines in Tajikistan, a thermal power plant in Dushanbe and a 500-kilowatt high-voltage power transmission line.

Tajikistan is encouraged to increase exports to China through the China International Import Expo and other platforms, he added.

Xi also called on the two countries to strengthen strategic collaboration and coordination through multilateral platforms such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, jointly uphold multilateralism and the free trade system, oppose unilateralism and economic bullying and commit themselves to improving the global governance system.

Xi commended the role of the conference in enhancing trust and collaboration among countries and upholding regional security and stability, and said it has made positive contributions to peace and development in Asia.

Tajik version of Xi's book released in Dushanbe

Also on Wednesday, the Tajik edition of the first volume of the book Xi Jinping: The Governance of China became available in Dushanbe.

In a congratulatory message delivered to the launch ceremony, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon hailed the great achievements China has made in economic and social aspects as well as in science and technology under the leadership of Xi.

The publication of the Tajik edition of the book will help Tajiks better understand China and Xi's vision on governance, as well as the development path of contemporary China, Rahmon said.

Wang Xiaohui, executive deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said at the publication ceremony that the Tajik edition of the book will help enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and guide the two countries in deepening cooperation on building of the Belt and Road.