President Emomali Rahmon and President Xi Jinping have discussed trade, investment, security, and technological cooperation during second “Central Asia–China” Summit

On June 17, 2025, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon held a bilateral meeting with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, on the sidelines of the second Central Asia–China Summit, according to the Tajik president’s official website.

Strategic partnership and diplomatic praise

During the meeting, the two leaders reportedly reviewed the current state and prospects of further expansion of Tajikistan-China cooperation.  President Rahmon emphasized that President Xi’s “historic state visit to Tajikistan last year opened new horizons for the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.”

China’s head of state echoed this sentiment, recalling his visit with satisfaction and expressing confidence that the outcomes of that visit would yield long-term benefits for both sides.

President Xi also praised Tajikistan’s international initiatives on water and climate issues and congratulated President Rahmon on successfully hosting the first-ever High-Level International Conference on Glacier Preservation.

Support for sovereignty and development

Xi Jinping reaffirmed China’s strong support for Tajikistan’s comprehensive development and continued state-building, expressing Beijing’s readiness to expand collaboration across a broad spectrum of sectors.

Trade, investment, and industry in focus

The leaders highlighted opportunities for increased cooperation in trade, investment, industry, energy, transport, telecommunications, and agriculture.  President Rahmon noted that China accounts for over 20% of Tajikistan’s total foreign trade turnover.

Particular interest was expressed in expanding agricultural development through innovative technologies, and in strengthening regional cooperation between the two countries.

Currently, more than 700 Chinese-funded companies operate across various economic and social sectors in Tajikistan.

The leaders identified the construction of joint industrial technology parks and scientific research-based IT centers as strategic priorities, alongside the establishment of joint ventures focused on electric vehicles, solar panels, pharmaceuticals, and the chemical industry.

The creation of a Tajik-Chinese leasing company was named as a promising direction for future cooperation.

Human capital, health, and culture

The two sides also discussed expanding cooperation in education, including increasing scholarships for Tajik students, and in healthcare and cultural exchanges.

Both leaders welcomed the launch of direct passenger flights between Dushanbe and Beijing as a major development in people-to-people connectivity and hailed the upcoming “Days of Chinese Culture” in Tajikistan this year.

They reaffirmed their commitment to high-level cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Central Asia–China dialogue platform.

Shared Security and New Agreements

Both parties expressed mutual interest in further strengthening security cooperation.

At the conclusion of the meeting, several bilateral agreements were signed, including:

• A government-to-government agreement on intellectual property cooperation;  
• Tajikistan-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Program until 2030;
• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of both countries on establishing a strategic dialogue mechanism at the ministerial level;
• A MoU on Artificial Intelligence Cooperation between Tajikistan’s Agency for Innovation and Digital Technologies and China’s National Development and Reform Commission;
• A MoU on cooperation between Tajikistan’s “Narodnaya Gazeta” and the China Media Group;
• An agreement on establishing sister-city relations between Tajikistan’s Sughd Province and China’s Shaanxi Province.