China ready to make pie of cooperation bigger with Tajikistan: premier

BEIJING -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Beijing on Wednesday.

Noting that China-Tajikistan relations have realized leapfrog development in recent years under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Emomali Rahmon, Li said China is willing to further synergize development strategies with Tajikistan, deepen win-win cooperation and share new opportunities brought about by Chinese modernization, to continuously make the pie of bilateral cooperation bigger and more substantial and deliver more tangible benefits to the two peoples.

He urged the two sides to further strengthen pragmatic cooperation by focusing on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, continuously optimizing the trade structure and working for trade facilitation.

Li also said the two countries should deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in agriculture, industrial parks and infrastructure, among others, continue to promote connectivity and strengthen exchanges in the fields of culture, education, medical care and sister cities.

Noting that the upcoming China-Central Asia Summit will inject new impetus into the overall cooperation between China and Central Asia and bring new opportunities for deepening China-Tajikistan cooperation, Li expressed the hope that Tajikistan will continue to play an active role in promoting new development of China-Central Asia cooperation.

Rahmon said Tajikistan is willing to learn from China's experience, absorb China's technologies, deepen exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in such fields as production capacity, energy, agriculture, water conservancy, connectivity and culture, and jointly promote the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative to bring bilateral ties to a new high.

Rahmon is paying a state visit to China and will attend the China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province.