Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday vowed to safeguard Tajikistan’s “territorial integrity” and announced plans to boost diplomatic ties with the neighbouring country during a rare visit.
Xi Jinping arrived in the Tajik capital Dushanbe from Kazakhstan on Thursday night after a meeting of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged the organisation to “resist external interference”.
Central Asia is a key link in China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive infrastructure project that Beijing has used to expand its influence abroad but which critics say has saddled developing countries with massive debts.
Beijing has sought to fill a void in the region created by Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, as former Soviet states worry about Russia’s growing belligerentness.
“China will continue to steadily promote friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Tajikistan… firmly support Tajikistan’s efforts to safeguard national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Xi told his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Xi vowed to “resolutely oppose any external interference in Tajikistan’s internal affairs under any pretext,” without naming any foreign power.
Beijing has recently stepped up its diplomatic efforts in Central Asia, a region rich in hydrocarbons and vital for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia, but also traditionally a zone of Russian influence.
Xi was greeted by Rahmon at the Dushanbe airport, where more than 1,500 young Tajiks dressed in traditional costume performed Chinese and Tajik songs and dances.
Xi praised Rahmon, saying “political mutual trust between the two countries has constantly deepened thanks to joint efforts of the two sides.”
“No matter how the international situation changes, China will always be Tajikistan’s reliable friend, trustworthy partner and close brother,” Xi said.
The two leaders announced the upgrade of diplomatic ties, and Xi awarded Rahmon the Order of Friendship, which is given to personalities who promote ties with China.
Xi previously visited Tajikistan in 2014 and 2019.
The SCO was founded in 2001 but has risen to prominence in recent years. Along with China, Russia and Belarus, its full members are: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
“We should join hands to resist external interference, firmly support each other, take each other’s concerns into account… and firmly take control of our countries’ future and destiny as well as regional peace and development in our own hands,” Xi told SCO leaders in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Thursday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
