On May 11, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, embarked on a state visit to China. According to the press service of the president, Emomali Rahmon was greeted by Chinese officials at the International Airport in Beijing. However, it is not specified who exactly welcomed President Rahmon. During the visit, President Rahmon is accompanied by […]
On May 11, the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, embarked on a state visit to China.
According to the press service of the president, Emomali Rahmon was greeted by Chinese officials at the International Airport in Beijing. However, it is not specified who exactly welcomed President Rahmon.
During the visit, President Rahmon is accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the presidential assistant for foreign relations, and heads of several relevant ministries and agencies.
It is reported that Rahmon’s visit to China is scheduled until May 14. It is expected that Rahmon will discuss bilateral cooperation in the areas of politics, economy and trade, industry, investment, and humanitarian ties.
It is still unknown when a meeting between Emomali Rahmon and Chinese President Xi Jinping is planned.
On the first day of his visit, President Emomali Rahmon met with the President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Ms. Zou Jiayi. During the meeting, issues of current cooperation and prospects for mutually beneficial ties were discussed. The parties also signed a Long-Term Investment Plan between Tajikistan and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to finance important infrastructure projects in Tajikistan, under which the bank will allocate more than $800 million.
Additionally, during his visit, within the framework of the information technology forum titled “Tajik-China Digital Business Connect,” 28 cooperation agreements were signed between companies from Tajikistan and China for a total amount of $647 million.
It is important to note that since 2013, Emomali Rahmon has visited China 22 times, while Chinese President Xi Jinping has only been to Tajikistan three times during this period.
China is one of Tajikistan’s main strategic partners. The length of the shared border is over 500 kilometers.
China is also considered the main investor in Tajikistan’s economy. Tajikistan’s external debt to China exceeds $700 million.
Moreover, China controls a large part of mineral extraction in Tajikistan. In particular, two Chinese companies, Zarafshon and Pokrud, annually extract about 84% of the gold in the country.