China allots 230 million U.S. dollars in no-strings aid to Tajikistan for construction of the parliamentary complex. Tajik authorities recommend that journalist do not ask ‘inappropriate’ questions…
Tajik authorities plan to build a new parliamentary complex and China will provide them with $230 million to build the new parliament. The news about China's unprecedented no-strings aid has alerted many ordinary people in Tajikistan. Assuming that China will agree to provide grant for construction of a new government complex (negotiations on this subject are under way), the question will be of nearly half a billion U.S. dollars.
Such a big money is not given without reason…
Officials assure that there is no cause for concern and recommend that we take this just as a gesture of goodwill from friendly China.
Do we really need this aid? Do we need such an expensive parliamentary complex? Would not it be better if this money is spent for anything more substantial?
The Minister of Economic Development and Trade Nematullo Hikmatullozoda has given the short answer to these questions: “I consider it inappropriate to ask such questions.”
Meanwhile, some experts consider that by awarding this grant China seeks to increase ties in the Central Asian region which Russia has traditionally viewed as its backyard.
Thus AFP reports China, which already owns over half of Tajikistan's public debt, has long sought to increase ties in the ex-Soviet Central Asia region which Moscow has traditionally viewed as its backyard.
China is a vital source of investments in mainly agrarian Tajikistan, which is also strongly dependent on remittances sent home by migrant workers in Russia.
Beijing now owns some $1.2 billion of the country's total external debt of $2.3 billion, a share equal to around a sixth of GDP.
For the most part, Chinese economic assistance to Tajikistan has targeted key infrastructure projects including roads and railways linking the country’s north and south.
