The national flags of China and Tajikistan are displayed at Beijing's Tiananmen Square to welcome Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on his visit to China on May 11, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
A new chapter in China-Tajikistan relations unfolded at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon signed a landmark treaty intended to define the two countries' bilateral relationship for generations to come.
The China-Tajikistan treaty of permanent good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation marks a significant elevation of ties, shifting the partnership into permanent strategic alignment.
President Xi hailed the treaty as a testament to strong political mutual trust, noting it will provide a solid guarantee for the enduring friendship between the two nations.
For his part, President Rahmon said the treaty marks a new historical stage in bilateral relations and opens up new prospects for long-term cooperation between the two sides.
Head-of-state diplomacy anchors mutual trust
Tuesday's meeting continued years of close engagement between the two leaders, with head-of-state diplomacy serving as a key driver of China-Tajikistan relations.
Xi and Rahmon have met nearly 20 times in recent years, guiding bilateral ties through several upgrades – from the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2013 to the launch of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era in 2024. During Xi's July 2024 visit to Dushanbe, he awarded Rahmon the Friendship Medal, China's highest state honor for foreign nationals, reflecting the close political ties between the two countries.
President Xi noted that steadfast mutual support is the defining feature of China-Tajikistan relations. He said that regardless of how the external environment may change, China and Tajikistan will always be good neighbors that help each other, good friends who trust each other, and good partners who work together for development.
The strength of this partnership is built on mutual support for each other's vital concerns. Xi stressed that China will always support Tajikistan in following a development path suited to its national conditions and in upholding national independence, sovereignty and security. Rahmon reaffirmed Tajikistan's firm adherence to the one-China principle and its recognition that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.
A still from a video shows Tajik President Emomali Rahmon arriving in Beijing, China, May 11, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Strategic alignment and innovation frontiers
China is currently Tajikistan's largest trading partner and biggest source of investment, with cooperation in connectivity, energy and infrastructure continuing to deepen. As the first country to sign a memorandum of understanding with China regarding the Silk Road Economic Belt in 2014, Tajikistan has long been a pioneer of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
A series of landmark BRI projects, including the China-Tajikistan Danghara Agricultural and Textile Industrial Park and the second phase of the China-Tajikistan Highway, have made tangible progress. These initiatives not only improve local livelihoods but also effectively drive industrial upgrades and regional connectivity.
Building on that momentum, the focus is now expanding into new growth drivers.
Xi called on the two sides to focus on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and thoroughly align their development strategies, namely China's 15th Five-Year Plan and Tajikistan's National Development Strategy for the period up to 2030, and work together to advance their respective development goals. He urged both countries to enhance the scale and quality of trade and investment, ensure the implementation of key projects, expand cooperation in green energy, the digital economy, smart cities, artificial intelligence, and other areas, while boosting scientific and technological innovation.
Rahmon noted that cooperation in trade, investment, transportation, and agriculture had already delivered tangible benefits for both peoples and expressed hope for stronger collaboration in critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and sci-tech innovation.
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of over 10 cooperation documents in areas such as party-to-party exchanges, economy, trade and investment, artificial intelligence, green mining and media.
Shared emphasis on security and multilateralism
Security remains an indispensable pillar, with both sides vowing resolutely to crack down on the three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism to jointly uphold regional stability.
Xi said China and Tajikistan should enhance cooperation on law enforcement and security. He also welcomed Tajikistan to join the International Organization for Mediation and expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation in the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the China-Central Asia mechanism, and other frameworks.
Rahmon praised the great significance of the Global Governance Initiative put forward by President Xi, and highly appreciated China's efforts to promote the political settlement of international hotspot issues and its important role in easing the situation in the Middle East. He also expressed readiness to strengthen multilateral cooperation together with China.
Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon (L) speaks during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 12, 2026. (Photo: VCG)
Translating strategic partnership into tangible benefits for the people
The vitality of the partnership is increasingly measured by its practical impact on the ground. Tajikistan is home to the first Luban Workshop in Central Asia – a Chinese vocational training center that has already equipped more than 1,500 students with practical skills in engineering, architecture, water management and environmental protection, preparing talent for the nation's future development.
Beyond education, the partnership is also visible in public health. The establishment of the China-Tajikistan Traditional Chinese Medicine Center has offered a new option for local patients and contributed to exchanges in traditional medicine between the two countries.
To build on these achievements, both leaders agreed to deepen people-to-people exchanges. Xi urged efforts to cultivate a new model of sub-national cooperation to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, while Rahmon called for facilitating mutual personnel visits and enhancing educational exchanges.
The two leaders also witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements in areas such as culture and education.
As China and Tajikistan move forward with the newly signed treaty, the relationship is set to be further anchored in political trust, broadened by practical cooperation, and sustained by people-to-people ties. From strategic alignment to shared development goals, the two neighbors are translating their long-standing friendship into a more structured, forward-looking partnership, paving the way for a journey toward a shared future in which every milestone is a foundation for the next chapter in their enduring legacy.