Chinese, Tajik FMs pledge to strengthen bilateral cooperation

DUSHANBE, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks Sunday with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that despite the differences in size and national conditions between China and Tajikistan, the two countries have always respected and trusted each other, treating each other as equals.

The two countries are good neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, as well as good friends who help each other and good partners who pursue development together, he said.

Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Tajikistan has continuously reached a new level, defining the goal of building a community with a shared future, Wang said.

Wang said that the two sides have achieved fruitful results in pragmatic cooperation across various fields and have consistently supported each other on issues concerning each other's core interests.

China is willing to try its best to help Tajikistan accelerate its industrialization process, enhance its economic and social development levels, and embark on a successful path of development and revitalization, bringing tangible benefits to the Tajik people, he said.

Noting that changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace and the international and regional situations are becoming increasingly complex and volatile, Wang pointed out that the two countries and bilateral relations face new circumstances and challenges.

The two sides should strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, leverage complementary advantages, and speed up quality improvement and upgrading of their pragmatic cooperation, he said.

China is willing to further expand trade with Tajikistan, tap into the potential of connectivity, advance cooperation in mineral resources, and explore new areas of cooperation such as new energy and green transformation, Wang said.

China supports more Chinese enterprises in investing and doing business in Tajikistan and hopes that Tajikistan will provide a favorable business environment for Chinese companies, Wang said.

The two countries should continue to firmly support each other in international affairs, jointly defend their strategic interests, and uphold international fairness and justice, he added.

For his part, Muhriddin said that the relationship between Tajikistan and China has a long history and has always been based on good-neighborliness and mutual trust.

China is an important strategic partner for Tajikistan, and the two heads of state have injected strong impetus into the development of bilateral relations, he said, adding that the two sides maintain close exchanges at all levels, the scale of economic and trade cooperation is continuously expanding, and cultural exchanges are rich in content.

Tajikistan is satisfied with the development level of bilateral relations and looks forward to working with China to comprehensively advance cooperation in various fields, achieving more new results in the high-level partnership between the two countries, he said.

Tajikistan will firmly stick to the one-China principle. In the face of a complex and changing regional situation, Tajikistan is willing to work with China to implement the Global Security Initiative and jointly address security challenges, said Muhriddin.

Tajikistan values coordination with China in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the China-Central Asia mechanism and will fully support China in assuming the rotating presidency of the SCO, Muhriddin said.

After the talks, the two sides signed cooperation documents between their foreign ministries and jointly met with the press.