On October 15, during the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Islamabad, Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with Tajik Prime Minister Rasulzada.
During their meeting, Li highlighted the significance of President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Tajikistan in July this year, where both leaders announced the elevation of China-Tajikistan relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in a new era. He emphasized that this partnership aims to establish a community with a shared future, laying out a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations and cooperation. Li expressed China’s readiness to work closely with Tajikistan to implement the consensus reached by their leaders, promote traditional friendship, deepen political trust, firmly support each other’s core interests, and elevate all-around cooperation to new heights, ultimately benefiting both peoples.
Li also stressed China’s willingness to strengthen alignment on development strategies with Tajikistan. He noted that they aim to build a community with a shared future, with a focus on high-quality Belt and Road Initiative construction, while exploring cooperation potentials in various fields including trade, investment, mining, and agriculture. Moreover, he mentioned expanding collaboration in emerging industries such as renewable energy and the digital economy, enhancing connectivity at a higher level, and fostering cultural, educational, and tourism exchanges to inject more momentum into their joint development. He urged both sides to effectively implement the outcomes of the first China-Central Asia Summit, strengthen multilateral cooperation, and jointly promote the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative, advocating for a truly multipolar world and inclusive economic globalization to uphold international fairness and justice.
In response, Rasulzada acknowledged the deep-rooted traditional friendship and strong political trust between Tajikistan and China, stating that their relationship is at an all-time high. He congratulated China on its impressive achievements over the 75 years since the establishment of the People’s Republic and expressed gratitude for China’s long-standing support for Tajikistan’s development. Rasulzada noted that Xi’s recent state visit effectively propelled the comprehensive strategic partnership to new heights. He affirmed Tajikistan’s commitment to collaborating with China to fully implement the important consensus of their leaders, enhance exchanges at all levels, advance the Belt and Road Initiative, and deepen cooperation in trade, investment, e-commerce, energy, industry, transportation, and agriculture. He also expressed a desire to expand cooperation in emerging fields such as the digital and green economy, and to broaden cultural exchanges for the betterment of both nations. Furthermore, he supported Xi’s vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the three global initiatives, expressing Tajikistan’s willingness to strengthen collaboration with China within the frameworks of the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to jointly promote peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
