Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has expressed satisfaction with the progress made to expand bilateral cooperation between Tajikistan and China.
On Wednesday September 5, President Emomali Rahmon received Vice Chairman of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Military Commission and the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Colonel-General Xu Qiliang.
According to the Tajik official website, Rahmon and Xu discussed issues related to expansion of military and technical cooperation between Tajikistan and China, implementation of the reached agreements, as well as the role of the countries in providing regional security and addressing modern challenges and threats such as terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking.
Both sides reportedly expressed satisfaction with expansion of strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation between Tajikistan and China.
The visit of the Chinese senior flag officer to Tajikistan has been held in the frameworks of implementation of important agreements reached between Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and China’s leader Xi Jinping.
Xu reportedly arrived in Dushanbe on September 4 on a three-day visit. The visit is reportedly aimed at strengthening strategic mutual understanding between Beijing and Dushanbe through expanding pragmatic military cooperation between the two countries
While in Dushanbe, Xu will also hold talks with Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo as well as visit one of subunits of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) of Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, some Central Asian media reports say that Xu Qiliang is currently on a nine-day trip to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, which began on September 1 and runs through September 9.
Kazakhstan was the first leg of his trip. Xinhua reports that Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Xu Qiliang in Astana on September 4, pledging to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields.
Kazakhstan and China are friendly neighbors and important cooperation partners, Tokayev said, adding that Kazakhstan greatly values its long friendship with China and supports the Belt and Road Initiative.
Kazakhstan firmly supports China on international issues and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with China in such fields as politics, economy, culture and security, Kazakh parliament speaker said.
The two countries would jointly fight against the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism and improve the livelihood of both peoples, Tokayev said.
Xu, for his part, said China and Kazakhstan had established a stable comprehensive strategic partnership thanks to the efforts of the two countries' heads of state, and are enjoying a further development of bilateral ties.
Noting the alignment of China's Silk Road Economic Belt and Kazakhstan's Nurly Zhol (Bright Path) economic program, as well as the “Chinese dream” and the “Kazakhstan dream,” Xu said this would bring more welfare to the peoples of the two countries.
During his visit to Kazakhstan, Xu also met with Defense Minister of Kazakhstan Nurlan Ermekbayev.
