Leaders envision enhancing scale of trade, collaboration in emerging sectors

Premier Li Qiang, who is on an official visit to Tajikistan, said on Monday that China is willing to expand cooperation with Tajikistan in emerging industries, such as the digital economy and artificial intelligence.

During his meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in the capital, Dushanbe, on Monday, Li said that China cherishes its deep friendship with Tajikistan and is willing to consolidate and deepen political mutual trust, firmly support each other's core interests, and continuously enhance the quality and efficiency of their cooperation.

As part of the visit's outcomes, the two sides signed a slew of cooperation documents on Sunday, covering infrastructure development, education, anti-corruption measures and standardized cooperation.

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Li told Rahmon that China is ready to expand the scale of bilateral trade, enhance collaboration in areas such as infrastructure and expand cooperation in emerging sectors such as the digital economy and AI.

He said that the two sides should strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation, step up intelligence exchange and sharing, and jointly combat the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism, and separatism to safeguard lasting peace and stability in the region.

He called on the Tajik side to continue taking effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens and businesses in Tajikistan.

During his visit to Tajikistan that runs through Tuesday, Li is also scheduled to attend the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Li said that China fully supports Tajikistan in successfully hosting the SCO meeting and that the two countries will work together to promote the SCO's high-quality development. He added that China is willing to strengthen communication and collaboration with Tajikistan in multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the China-Central Asia mechanism.

Rahmon noted that during his visit to China in May, he had a successful meeting with President Xi Jinping and reached a series of important consensuses, charting the course for the growth of Tajik-Chinese relations.

Tajikistan firmly adheres to the one-China principle and resolutely supports China in safeguarding its core interests, said Rahmon.

He added that Tajikistan stands firmly behind the four global initiatives proposed by Xi and is willing to strengthen multilateral cooperation with China through platforms such as the UN, the SCO and the China-Central Asia mechanism.

China is currently Tajikistan's largest trading partner and its largest source of foreign investment.

Last year, annual bilateral trade volume between China and Tajikistan reached $4.31 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11.9 percent, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Next year marks the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Tajikistan.

During his talks with Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda after arriving in the country on Sunday, Li said that China stands ready to work with Tajikistan to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

China is willing to synergize its development visions with Tajikistan, and to deepen cooperation in areas including trade and investment, green minerals, connectivity, clean energy and AI, Li said.

He added that both sides should expand exchanges and cooperation in areas such as culture and education, and should further deepen law enforcement and security cooperation to foster a stable and secure environment for personnel exchanges.

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He said that China will import more high-quality goods from Tajikistan and encourage Chinese enterprises to invest and start businesses in Tajikistan. He expressed hope that Tajikistan will continue to provide a favorable business environment for Chinese enterprises.

On his part, Rasulzoda expressed appreciation for China's longstanding and strong support for Tajikistan's economic development.

Tajikistan stands ready to leverage platforms such as the China-Tajikistan intergovernmental committee on economic and trade cooperation and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, he said.

Aside from cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, Tajikistan also looks to expand cooperation in emerging fields such as the green economy, digital economy and AI, he added.

Contact the writers at zhangyunbi@chinadaily.com.cn