Interview: Xi's visit to further promote China-Tajikistan ties: ambassador

DUSHANBE, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Tajikistan will open a new chapter in bilateral ties and boost comprehensive cooperation to a new level, Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Liu Bin has said here.

The Chinese president arrived here Friday for the fifth Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and a state visit to Tajikistan.

"Since President Xi's first state visit to Tajikistan in 2014, China-Tajikistan relations have seen great development, and cooperation between the two countries in various fields has achieved great results," Liu told Xinhua.

China and Tajikistan are "good friends, good neighbors and good partners" that support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests, he said.

Meanwhile, the two countries have substantially enhanced their trade and economic ties, he added.

China is currently Tajikistan's biggest investor and the third largest trading partner, said the ambassador, adding that the volume of bilateral trade exceeded 1.5 billion U.S. dollars last year.

He highlighted the alignment of Tajikistan's development strategy for the period up to 2030 with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and praised the pragmatic cooperation between the two countries under this framework.

Liu also commented on the solid friendship and flourishing people-to-people exchanges between China and Tajikistan, especially the growing popularity of Chinese culture in Tajikistan.

Thanks to a comprehensive strategic partnership, China-Tajikistan ties have reached "the highest level in history" with broad prospects for bilateral cooperation, Liu said, highlighting the BRI construction and security cooperation as key areas.

Liu further said the two countries agree to strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas and pledge to work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Speaking of the CICA, Liu said that China supports Tajikistan in hosting the event, which is an important mechanism for promoting mutual trust and common security in Asia.

"Leaders of the participating countries will discuss security and cooperation issues in Asia, so as to promote the building of a security governance mode with Asian characteristics, which helps promote regional stability and development as well as create a better future for Asia's peace and prosperity," Liu said.