On Wednesday, 29 November 2023, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan met with Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and First Deputy Premier of the State Council of China.
The meeting underscored the robust and enduring strategic partnership between the two nations, characterized by vibrant cooperation across various levels, including state, governmental, and ministerial. Inter-parliamentary and inter-party exchanges have also gained momentum, while interregional collaboration has received a fresh impetus.
President Berdimuhamedov emphasized the importance of implementing the agreements reached during recent high-level talks. Notably, the President of Turkmenistan held fruitful discussions with President Xi Jinping during his visits to China this year. Additionally, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the National Leader of the Turkmen people and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty, recently visited China, participating in the Third “One Belt, One Road” Forum in Beijing.
The meeting highlighted the qualitative transformation of Turkmen-Chinese cooperation in recent years, covering a broad range of areas, including politics, diplomacy, trade, economics, culture, and humanitarian sectors.
China has long been Turkmenistan’s largest foreign economic partner, with a particularly strong partnership in the energy sector.
Humanitarian ties also hold a special place in the bilateral dialogue. Numerous young Turkmen study in China. Chinese is studied in a number of higher and secondary educational institutions of Turkmenistan. Recently, Ashgabat marked the start of the Year of Chinese Culture in Turkmenistan, and Mary hosted the Youth Forum of Central Asian and Chinese countries.
Turkmenistan and China also engage in constructive cooperation at the regional level and within international organizations, primarily the United Nations (UN).
Concluding the meeting, both sides expressed unwavering confidence in the continued comprehensive development of interstate relations. ///nCa, 30 November 2023