Foreign and Military Affairs

China, Tajikistan sign communique to promote ties

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-26 06:59

China, Tajikistan sign communique to promote ties

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao shakes hands with his Tajik counterpart Akil Akilov in Dushanbe, Nov 25. [Photo/Xinhua]

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan- China and Tajikistan will enhance high-level contacts, expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields to fully develop their relations of good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, said a joint communique signed on Thursday by the two countries.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao signed the communique with his Tajik counterpart Akil Akilov in his two-day visit to the Central Asian nation. During his stay there, Wen also attended the ninth prime ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Both sides hailed the development of bilateral ties, and reiterated that the development of long-term and stable relations of good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation is in the interests of the two peoples, the communique said.

China and Tajikistan also vowed to deepen political mutual trust and implement all the consensus reached between the two sides.

Meanwhile, China expressed appreciation of Tajikistan's adherence to the one China policy and its support to the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties and China's effort to pursue peaceful reunification.

The communique spoke highly of the Sino-Tajik trade and economic cooperation in recent years, holding that both sides should give priority to maintaining the sustained and stable growth of bilateral trade volume and to boosting cooperation projects in economic and technological fields.

Both countries have decided to give full play to the intergovernmental economic and trade committee to improve the environment for investment and trade and create new cooperative modes, the communique said.

The two neighbors, which are adjacent geographically and complementary to each other economically, also pledged to boost cooperation in such areas as transportation, telecommunication, electricity, finance, mining and agriculture, the communique said.

In the communique, both sides spoke highly of their cooperation concerning ports which contribute greatly to the development of bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The two nations will also speed up efforts to improve infrastructure construction in Karasu-Kulma port and customs clearance conditions to allow the all-year-round operation of the port at an early date.

The two countries, meanwhile, vowed to continue promoting cooperation in culture, education, health, tourism, sports and journalism, and encourage the sponsorship of cultural days and cultural festivals by each other as well as exchanges between youths of the two countries.

Both sides will further their close cooperation so as to continue improving the facilities and quality of teaching in the Confucius Institute in Tajikistan, the communique said.

In the joint communique, both sides also hailed Tajik President Emomali Rahmon's working visit to China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in June, saying the visit was crucial in boosting the Sino-Tajik ties as well as cooperation at local levels between the two countries.

Both sides are willing to implement all the agreements signed during Rahmon's visit, to further strengthen cooperation between China's Xinjiang region and Tajikistan in fields like trade and economy, transportation, energy and agriculture, the communique said.

Safeguarding peace, security and stability in Central Asia is in the fundamental and long-term interests of countries in the region; and regional cooperation should play a positive role in this endeavor, the communique said.

As the three evil forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism are posing grave threats to regional peace and stability, China and Tajikistan will further their coordination and cooperation, take forceful measures within the framework of the SCO, jointly combat terrorism in all forms including the "East Turkistan" terrorist forces, in a bid to guarantee the peace and tranquility in the two countries and in the region at large.

Meanwhile, the two sides also pledged to intensify their anti-drug cooperation and crack down on transnational drug trafficking activities, and support the United Nations in taking rational and necessary reforms to give more say to the developing countries.

The two countries hailed their exchanges and cooperation in the international human rights field, and emphasized that each country should boost the development of human rights and protect the rights in accordance with the conditions of the country. They also reiterated their opposition to politicizing the issue of human rights and setting double standards in this regard, and to interfering in other countries' internal affairs under the excuse of human rights, the communique said.

Meanwhile, both sides commended the positive results achieved at the ninth SCO prime ministers' meeting in the Tajik capital as well as the SCO's constructive role in promoting regional stability and development and the mutually beneficial cooperation between member nations.

They also vowed concerted efforts with other SCO members to boost cooperation in the areas of security, economy and culture within the framework, the communique said.

Tajikistan is the second and last leg of Wen's four-day official visits. The Chinese premier visited Russia prior to his Tajik tour.