DUSHANBE, October 26, 2014, Asia-Plus – On Friday October 24, Sharif Said, Chairman of Tajikistan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, met here with a delegation of China’s Shaanxi Province, led by Zhang Xionin (phonetically spelled), Deputy Secretary-General of the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Government.

According to the CCI press center, the purpose of the visit for the Chinese delegation is to discuss with Tajik officials issues related to expansion of regional cooperation.

State and prospects of bilateral trade and economic cooperation were reportedly a major topic of the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, the CCI head noted that more than 70 Chinese enterprises are currently operating in Tajikistan, constructing roads, tunnels, power transmission lines, combined power and heat plant, cement plants and building materials producing enterprises, the source said.

Sharif Said reportedly outlined sectors like hydropower, mining, light and food industries, mechanical engineering, road and railway building, agriculture and tourism, as areas of which could drive the bilateral trade between Tajikistan and China’s Shaanxi Province.

He also proposed to consider the issue of holding an exhibition of Shaanxi’s goods in Dushanbe in 2015 and organizing a conference of representatives of the business communities of the two countries here next year.

For his part, Mr. Zhang invited Tajikistan to participate in the 19th China Xian International Silk Road Exposition that will take place in Xian from May 22-25, 2015.    

Shaanxi is a province of the People''s Republic of China, officially part of the Northwest China region. It includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qin Mountains (Qinling) across the southern part of this province.

As of the mid-19th century, Shaanxi exported animal skins, wine, liquor, and musk.  Money loans were also common, with Shaanxi business people involved in the Guangzhou loan business.  Shaanxi commonly imported European animal skins, watches, Chinese language books, and cloth.

The fossil fuel and high technology sectors compose the two largest industries in Shaanxi province.  During 2009, the province ranked third in China for production of coal, natural gas and crude oil.  As the home of several of the leading universities and research institutes in Western China, Shaanxi province also plays a major role in China''s burgeoning aircraft and aerospace industries, producing more than 50% of the R&D and manufacturing equipment for the country''s domestic commercial air industry.