The President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, yesterday left for Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, to participate in the China-Central Asia Summit, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
At the Dushanbe International Airport, Emomali Rahmon was reportedly seen off by speakers of both chambers of parliament, prime minister, first deputy head of President’s Executive Office and other officials.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Aide to the President for Foreign Relations, the Ministers of Economic Development and Trade, Transport, Industry and New Technologies, the Chairman of the State Committee on Investment and State-owned Property Management, and other officials are accompanying the President on his visit to Kazakhstan.
While in Astana, Tajik leader is expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings.
Meanwhile, China’s Xinhua, citing the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, reported that at the Second China-Central Asia Summit to be held later this week, heads of state will jointly draw a new blueprint for future cooperation, open up new space for Belt and Road cooperation and build an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
Noting Central Asia is not only the place where the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first proposed, but also a pace-setter in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, Guo said that all five Central Asian countries have signed BRI cooperation documents with China, and China and Central Asian countries have implemented a series of signature projects designed to boost development and make lives better for the people.
Trade between China and Central Asian countries hit a record high of 674.15 billion yuan in 2024, up by 116 percent compared with that of 2013. Guo said that all sides have found a new model of mutually beneficial cooperation through the China-Kazakhstan Crude Oil Pipeline project and the China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline project.
The China-Tajikistan highway, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway and the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway have taken regional connectivity to new levels, and practical cooperation is expanded to digital economy and green transition.
