The Chinese economy is demonstrating steady growth, and cooperation with Tajikistan is reaching a new level—from investments and infrastructure to education and technology. This was shared in an interview by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Tajikistan, Guo Zhijun.
– According to data published by the Chinese side, in 2025, the growth rate of China’s economy remained at 5%. Could you describe the current economic situation in China?
– In 2025, China’s GDP exceeded 140 trillion yuan for the first time, maintaining a growth rate of 5.0%; the volume of trade in goods surpassed 45 trillion yuan for the first time, continuing to grow for the ninth consecutive year.
China has become the main trading partner for more than 160 countries and regions worldwide, with its “circle of friends” in foreign trade constantly expanding, and high-tech products and goods with high added value becoming the main drivers of export growth. These vivid data demonstrate the high resilience and viability of the Chinese economy.
– How do you assess the current state of trade and economic cooperation between Tajikistan and China? Which key areas of economic interaction are currently developing most dynamically?
– Cooperation between Tajikistan and China in areas such as trade, investment, agriculture, industry, and infrastructure is developing rapidly and has achieved impressive results, becoming a model of mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Central Asian countries.
According to Tajik statistics, in 2025, the volume of bilateral trade between Tajikistan and China reached 2.849 billion dollars, increasing by 45.7%, accounting for 26.4% of Tajikistan’s total foreign trade. China became the largest trade partner, the largest export market, and the largest source of imports for Tajikistan.
As of mid-2025, the accumulated volume of China’s investments in Tajikistan exceeded 5.1 billion dollars, of which 2.9 billion were direct investments, accounting for more than 57% of the total attracted direct investments in Tajikistan, making China the largest foreign investor in the country.
Such cooperation results have become possible, firstly, thanks to the strategic leadership of the heads of the two states and the continuous growth of mutual political trust. Secondly, due to the constant strengthening of cooperation needs and economic complementarity between China and Tajikistan, as well as a strong desire to expand cooperation.
Thirdly, thanks to active promotion from multilateral mechanisms and platforms, such as the “China-Central Asia” cooperation mechanism and the SCO, in which both countries participate.
The trade structure between China and Tajikistan is generally relatively stable. Tajikistan’s exports to China mainly consist of mineral raw materials, cotton, leather raw materials, etc., while China exports mainly mechanical and engineering equipment, electronics, new electric vehicles, consumer goods, and so on to Tajikistan.
Investment cooperation is gradually expanding from mining, agriculture, infrastructural construction, and building materials production to areas such as the digital economy, 5G technologies, new energy sources, and artificial intelligence.
Why China Became a Key Investor in Tajikistan
– China managed to become the main investor in Tajikistan in a relatively short time: the first Chinese investments came to Tajikistan in 2008, and since 2017, China has been the main investor in the Republic of Tajikistan. What contributed to this and how does China plan to support and develop investments in Tajikistan’s economy in the coming years?
– Chinese investments have become a driver of trade and economic ties between the two countries, effectively strengthening the material foundation of a comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era. The expansion of investment cooperation is actively facilitated by the following factors:
Firstly, China and Tajikistan strive to develop a comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era, within the framework of high-quality joint construction of the “Belt and Road” initiative, political mutual trust is constantly being strengthened, laying a solid foundation for investment cooperation.
Secondly, the parties continue to deepen the alignment of the “Belt and Road” initiative with Tajikistan’s National Development Strategy until 2030, transforming economic complementarity and common interests into specific joint projects.
Thirdly, the mechanism of bilateral investment cooperation is being improved. On July 5, 2024, China and Tajikistan signed the “Agreement on the Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments between the Government of the PRC and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan,” which came into effect on August 20, 2025.
This institutional mechanism creates a more stable, transparent, and favorable business environment for investors from both countries, significantly strengthening investment confidence.
Fourthly, Tajikistan has introduced a number of preferential measures to attract investments, providing reliable legal guarantees.
The Chinese side will continue to encourage its enterprises to expand investments in Tajikistan, taking into account the current development needs of its industry, based on market principles, studying and utilizing the preferential investment policy of Tajikistan’s free economic zones.
Special attention will be paid to such promising areas as the digital economy, artificial intelligence, new energy sources, electric vehicles, modern agriculture, modern processing industry, and big data industry.
Key Projects and Initiatives of “One Belt, One Road”
– Which projects, including within the framework of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, are particularly important for Tajikistan and China?
– Chinese enterprises are implementing a number of large investment projects in Tajikistan in areas such as the mining and metallurgical industry, agriculture, building materials production, energy, textile industry, oil exploration, and others.
In the field of mineral resource development, companies such as the “Tajik-Chinese Mining Company,” LLC “Zarafshan,” LLC “Pakrut,” LLC “TBEA-Dushanbe Mining Industry,” CJSC “TALCO GOLD” are engaged in the development of gold, silver, copper, antimony, lead, and zinc deposits, which are the backbone enterprises of Tajikistan’s mining industry.
In the textile industry, the project for constructing a textile industrial park, implemented by the Xinjiang Zhongtai Group in Tajikistan, became the first project in the country with a complete production cycle, integrating cotton cultivation, primary processing (ginning), spinning, weaving, dyeing, and garment manufacturing. It is also the largest and most comprehensive textile cluster with a full production cycle in Central Asia.
In the field of building materials production, two cement production lines in Yavan and Sughd region, built by Huaxin Cement Corporation, have an annual production capacity of 2.4 million tons, which helped Tajikistan transform from a cement importer to an exporter.
In the energy sector, the cooperation project for oil and gas exploration in southwestern Tajikistan, implemented by CNPC, is the first major project in the country in this field and is expected to achieve a breakthrough in the development of oil and gas fields.
On the Security of Facilities
– At the end of last year, a group of unidentified individuals carried out an attack from the territory of Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of Chinese citizens involved in the construction of a section of the Kalai-Khumb-Vanch highway. After this, the construction of this section of the Dushanbe-Khorog-Kulma road (border with China) was suspended. Is this related to the tragic incident? When will construction resume?
– The Chinese Embassy in Tajikistan strongly condemns this heinous crime and has demanded that the Tajik side call upon the relevant parties to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, strictly punish the perpetrators, and take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens in Tajikistan.
Currently, the Tajik side has taken a number of targeted measures to ensure security, which we highly appreciate. Given that the investigation of the incident is still ongoing, the current work of the Chinese side is focused on comprehensively identifying and eliminating security threats, strengthening security measures for the relevant projects to prevent the recurrence of such events.
The Chinese side is ready to continue working with the Tajik side to prevent and respond to security threats, effectively protecting the safety of Chinese citizens, organizations, and projects in Tajikistan, creating favorable conditions for the safe production and construction of projects.
Plans to Expand Economic Cooperation
– What plans are there to expand the bilateral trade network and economic exchanges?
– China plays a long-term and key role in the modernization and sustainable development of Tajikistan’s economy, which is mainly reflected in the following:
Firstly, it is the alignment of strategies and policy coordination. Tajikistan is one of the first countries to support and sign documents on joint construction of the “Belt and Road.” Since 2013, the parties have been promoting the deep alignment of Tajikistan’s National Development Strategy until 2030 with the “Belt and Road” initiative.
In July 2024, the leaders of the two states jointly announced the elevation of Tajik-Chinese relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era, further strengthening the solid foundation for long-term cooperation.
Within the framework of such strategic alignment and policy coordination, the parties, through multi-dimensional cooperation, contribute to the transformation of Tajikistan into a regional transit and transport hub and a modern industrial-agricultural country.
Secondly, it is infrastructure connectivity. China has invested and participated in the construction of a number of landmark infrastructure projects, including key sections of the Dushanbe-Kulma (China-Tajikistan) highway, the China-Tajikistan-Uzbekistan highway, the Dushanbe TPP-2, and the “South-North” power line. These projects have significantly improved transport and energy conditions in Tajikistan.
Thirdly, industrial cooperation contributes to the diversification of Tajikistan’s economy. Through direct investments and technology transfer, China helps Tajikistan raise the technical level of its industry and export potential, reducing import dependency.
The cooperation of the parties also extends to new areas such as renewable energy, 5G, and artificial intelligence, which will give new impetus to Tajikistan’s transition to a “green” economy and completing the digital transformation.
Fourthly, China actively promotes the training of personnel for Tajikistan. Relying on the Luban Workshops and Confucius Institutes in both countries, the Chinese side helps Tajik students study in China and implements technical training programs to prepare specialists needed for the sustainable development of Tajikistan.
Fifthly, joint security provision for economic activities. The parties coordinate positions within multilateral mechanisms such as the UN and SCO, jointly maintaining peace and stability in the region, creating a favorable environment for Tajikistan’s sustainable development.
Education and Humanitarian Cooperation
– How many Tajik students are currently studying in China? What support does the Chinese side provide to Tajik students for studying in China? How many Confucius Institutes and their branches are currently operating in Tajikistan? Are there plans to open new centers?
– Young people are the future of China-Tajikistan relations. We are pleased to note that “learning Chinese” is becoming a priority choice for an increasing number of Tajik youth.
China annually provides Tajikistan with quotas for obtaining government scholarships from the Chinese government, regional scholarships, as well as scholarships from various universities, supporting Tajik students to study in China.
At the same time, the Chinese Embassy in Tajikistan has established the “Chinese Ambassador Scholarship,” which has so far provided support and encouragement to more than 100 talented Tajik young men and women.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the educational departments of the two countries, in 2025, nearly 4,000 Tajik students chose to study in China. The number of Chinese students coming to study in Tajikistan is also steadily growing. We are also ready to promote the influence of Tajik culture in China.
Within the framework of China-Tajikistan cooperation, two Confucius Institutes operate at the Tajik National University and the Tajik Mining and Metallurgical Institute, preparing highly qualified personnel with knowledge of the Chinese language.
At the Tajik Technical University named after M.S. Osimi, a Luban Workshop has been established, supporting vocational and technical training in China and Tajikistan and facilitating the employment of Tajik youth.
The leaders of our two countries pay great attention to the development of Confucius Institutes and the Luban Workshop in Tajikistan. The Chinese side welcomes and is ready to provide the necessary support to Tajikistan in learning the Chinese language and vocational training, including cooperation in establishing new Confucius Institutes. We hope that young people will learn Chinese and, in the future, contribute to the cause of eternal China-Tajikistan friendship.
