China will provide Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs with anti-terrorism and reconnaissance equipment worth 72 million somoni under a bilateral grant aid agreement between the two countries.
A government resolution approving the draft exchange of notes on gratuitous assistance between Tajikistan and China was signed on May 8. The document authorizes the Tajik interior minister to sign the agreement on behalf of the government and allows the Foreign Ministry to coordinate the date and venue for the signing with the Chinese side.
Under the agreement, China will deliver 34 reconnaissance devices along with additional police equipment to the Qarasou border checkpoint on Tajikistan’s state border. Eight Chinese specialists will travel to Tajikistan for 45 days to install and configure the equipment and train local personnel.
Tajikistan will be responsible for customs clearance, transportation, and storage of the equipment, as well as providing visas, accommodation, security, and working conditions for the Chinese specialists. A special working group will also be established to assist with installation and training. After delivery, both sides will inspect the equipment and sign a handover certificate. Tajikistan will subsequently assume responsibility for operating and maintaining the equipment.
China remains one of Tajikistan’s key strategic partners. Following President Emomali Rahmon’s recent visit to China, the two countries signed more than 80 cooperation agreements. Tajik lawmakers also recently approved plans for the construction of nine new border facilities along the Afghan frontier.
Reports of a possible Chinese military presence in Tajikistan have surfaced repeatedly in recent years. In 2021, media reports claimed that Tajik and Chinese authorities were discussing the construction of a facility in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), though Tajik officials denied it would be a Chinese military base. Similar claims re-emerged in 2024 after a report by The Telegraph, which was also denied by Tajik authorities.
The current agreement, however, focuses on strengthening Tajikistan’s border security and anti-terrorism capabilities through the supply of intelligence and police equipment.
