Interview: Tajikistan-China ties grow with notable achievements over 3 decades, says senior journalist

DUSHANBE, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Over the past three decades, Tajikistan-China relations have witnessed notable achievements and bilateral cooperation has been growing day by day, a senior Tajik journalist has said.

"Tajikistan and China are close neighbors. They have been historically connected for centuries by the great Silk Road. The principles of peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of the people are close and dear to both countries," Natalya Kutuzova, head of the journalism department of Tajik mainstream newspaper Sogdiyskaya Pravda, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"During the 32 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, there has been remarkable progress and development in the two countries' relations. And every year our relations continue to expand and grow stronger," she said ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Tajikistan.

Xi will pay a state visit to the Central Asian country after attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Kutuzova noted that an example of the successful development of cooperation between the two countries is the involvement of Chinese companies in the construction of tunnels, roads, bridges, as well as avalanche protection galleries in the challenging mountainous areas of Tajikistan. A transport corridor has been created between Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe and Kashgar, a city in China's western Xinjiang.

"Our cooperation is steadily developing in the economic, investment, cultural, and educational spheres. Relations in medicine, tourism and science have also begun to develop," Kutuzova added.

China is the largest source of foreign direct investment in Tajikistan and one of the country's major trading partners. Last year, two-way trade reached 3.9 billion U.S. dollars, a 53.5 percent year-on-year increase.

Meanwhile, there is a positive trend in Tajikistan, where a growing number of young people are showing interest in studying the Chinese language and culture, and are seeking to obtain higher education in Chinese universities, she told Xinhua.

Kutuzova also highly appreciates the Chinese proposal to build a community with a shared future for mankind, which she said "is very timely and necessary."

"China's development, successes, and advantages in this initiative will contribute to the progress of other countries and peoples. They will serve as a driving force that sets others on a path towards creation and success," she said.