Chinese, Tajik presidents pledge cooperation in connectivity

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon during their talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2014. [Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon on Friday vowed to strengthen cooperation in improving connectivity, building the Silk Road Economic Belt and fighting terrorism.

China supports Tajikistan's plan to become an economic and trade passageway between China and countries in Central Asia and the Gulf region, Xi told Rahmon, who is in Beijing for a dialogue on strengthening connectivity.

The two neighboring nations should explore new models of cooperation in areas such as energy, transportation and agriculture, to bring the collaboration to a higher level, said Xi.

"I'm willing to keep in close touch with you, make plans for cooperation between our countries and push for their realization," he said when meeting with Rahmon.

Tajikistan actively supports and participates in building the Silk Road Economic Belt and will speed up the construction of cross-border railways and other infrastructure projects, Rahmon said.

He promised to work for the timely completion of the Tajikistan section of Line-D of the China-Central Asia Gas Pipelines.

President Xi's proposal of holding the dialogue on strengthening connectivity partnership came at the right time for Tajikistan, as transportation is a major bottleneck that constrains his country's economic development, said Rahmon.

Both Xi and Rahmon will attend the dialogue scheduled on Saturday, which will also be participated by leaders from Bangladesh, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Pakistan.

During Friday's meeting, Xi also called for joint efforts by China and Tajikistan in crackdowns on online terrorism and drugs.

The two countries should work together with parties like Afghanistan in fighting the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, he said.

Rahmon told Xi that Tajikistan will better coordinate with China in striking terrorist forces such as the East Turkistan Islamic Movement.

After their meeting, the two presidents attended the signing ceremony of bilateral cooperation agreements.

China and Tajikistan have seen stronger ties since the establishment of strategic partnership that was announced during Rahmon's visit to China in May 2013.

Xi paid a state visit to Tajikistan in September this year, when he proposed to Rahmon that both sides strive to increase bilateral trade to 3 billion U.S. dollars in the next five years.