Rustami Emomali in China

On August 20, Rustam Emomali, the son of President Emomali Rahmon, arrived in China on an official visit.

During this trip, the Chairman of the Majlisi Milli, the upper house of the Parliament of Tajikistan, is accompanied by the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan, Zavki Zavkizoda, members of parliament, heads of several organizations, agencies, and production enterprises, and other officials.

It is reported that Rustam Emomali’s visit to China took place at the invitation of Zhao Lei, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, and will last until August 23.

The Mayor of Dushanbe also met with the Mayor of Beijing, visited Tiananmen Square, and laid a wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in honor of the history, culture, and heroes of the Chinese people.

This is Rustam Emomali’s first official visit to China. State media report that the purpose of the visit is to strengthen cooperation between the friendly countries.

At the same time, experts believe that the main goal of this visit is to present the 36-year-old Rustam Emomali on the political stage as the main successor to Emomali Rahmon.

China is the main investor and creditor of Tajikistan. According to official data, Tajikistan’s debt to the Chinese Exim Bank alone exceeds one billion dollars.

The terms of these large loans and investments are not officially disclosed. However, Chinese companies enjoy significant privileges in Tajikistan, with the largest deposits of valuable and rare metals being allocated to Chinese mining companies.

Additionally, Tajikistan previously transferred over 1,100 square kilometers of territory to China, which constitutes 0.77 percent of the total territory of Tajikistan.