Chinese president's visit to Tajikistan "historic," says Chinese ambassador

DUSHANBE, Sept. 12  -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Tajikistan is historic, with a series of cooperation agreements, mainly in investment and economic areas, to be signed, Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Fan Xianrong told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The relations between China and Tajikistan have reached a strategic level, he said, adding China assisted Tajikistan in implementing economic projects which contributed to the development of its national economy.

According to him, China and Tajikistan plan to start soon the construction of the fourth Central Asia-China gas pipeline network that needs an investment of billions of U.S. dollars.

A Chinese Confucius Center will be opened in Tajikistan in the near future with the aim of helping train Tajik personnel in various fields and language teaching, Fan said.

China is also ready to help Tajikistan train staff in energy, mining, and agriculture, according to the Chinese ambassador.

China is now Tajikistan's third-largest trading partner, and bilateral trade volume reached nearly 2 billion U.S. dollars last year.

Additionally, China has invested more than any other foreign country in Tajikistan, with Chinese investments in the Central Asian state totaling 620 million dollars by the end of 2013.

President Xi arrived here Thursday for the 14th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and a state visit to Tajikistan.