Tajikistan and China signed 31 cooperation documents

By signing more than thirty cooperation documents, Emomali Rahmon demonstrated that Dushanbe is increasingly orienting itself towards Beijing as an important and strategic partner.

According to the state agency “Khovar,” on May 12, 2026, a ceremony was held in Beijing to sign a new package of agreements. A total of 31 new cooperation documents were signed between Tajikistan and China in areas such as political, economic, technological cooperation, the use of artificial intelligence, agricultural development, education, and humanitarian exchange.

The Tajik delegation was headed by President Emomali Rahmon himself. State and pro-government media characterized this period of relations between the countries with the slogan “Friendship forever, no enmity.”

Among the most important documents were a joint statement on deepening comprehensive cooperation and strategic partnership “in a new era” and a treaty on eternal friendship.

The parties also signed a number of documents on cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence, including the establishment of a joint center for the application of AI and the expansion of scientific and technological innovation cooperation in this area.

Other documents signed between the countries were in the area of economic cooperation and infrastructure development. Thus, Emomali Rahmon and Xi Jinping signed documents on the modernization of the Kulma border checkpoint, on cooperation based on digital trust in trade, on investment cooperation in the field of mineral resources for the period 2026-2028, and on the establishment of a business council between the chambers of commerce of the two countries.

Important documents on cooperation in the agricultural sector and education were also signed. In particular, Tajikistan and China agreed to create an agricultural scientific and technological innovation park and signed protocols on the requirements for the import and export of chicken meat, apricots, and plums.

One of the documents that attracted the attention of observers is the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Communist Party of China and the People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan for 2026-2028. The document provides for the exchange of experience in public administration, training of party personnel, as well as the expansion of economic and cultural cooperation.

It has been reported that Peking University awarded the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon the title of “Honorary Professor” of this university.

The visit of Emomali Rahmon to China was quite ceremonial, while recently President Rahmon did not visit Moscow and did not attend the May 9 parade. Some experts consider this a gradual change in Tajikistan’s geopolitical course. In their opinion, Dushanbe is gradually distancing itself from Moscow while drawing closer to Beijing, as Tajikistan’s economic dependence on China has been growing in recent years.

Experts note that China has become one of the most important economic partners of Tajikistan today. According to official data, there are more than 700 Chinese companies operating in Tajikistan, and the total volume of Chinese investments since 2009 has exceeded 4 billion dollars. At the same time, more than half of Tajikistan’s external debt, i.e., over 3 billion dollars, is owed to China. This raises concerns about the growing economic and political dependence of the country on China.