Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Turkmenistan Xiao Qinghua gave an interview to TDH on the eve of a state visit of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping to Turkmenistan.
At the beginning of his interview the Ambassador noted that traditional friendship between China and Turkmenistan was rooted deeply in remote ages. More than 2,000 years ago the Silk Road initiated our friendly relations, closely binding the two peoples at the distance of thousands of kilometres from Xian, the ancient Chinese capital to Mary, an ancient city in Turkmenistan. Chinese porcelain, tea and silk articles entered into the life of the Turkmen people along this way. The pride of the Turkmen nation – an Ahalteke horse – that strode majestically across China and called a ‘heavenly’ racer became an envoy and witness of friendly relations between our countries.
A new page was added to the chronicle of bilateral ties on January 6, 1992 – the day when the People’s Republic of China and Turkmenistan established diplomatic relations.
Mutual understanding, contacts and cooperation between our countries have reached an unprecedented level today. The international flights between Beijing, Urumqi and Ashgabat fly every day, thousands of Turkmen citizens of travel to China every year. The departments of Chinese language and literature opened at the universities of Turkmenistan, Turkmen youth arriving in China to study increase in number. Products of the well-known Chinese brands, such as Lenovo, Huawei, Haier and others, are in high demand among the Turkmen people, Chinese locomotives run along the steel roads across the expanses of the Karakum Desert, and millions of people in China receive warmth and light of the Turkmen land thanks to Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline that stretches 8,000 kilometres.
Many high-level Chinese delegations visit Turkmenistan every year, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has visited China five times. The Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation established in 2009 at the level of Vice Premiers and consisting of four sub-committees on cooperation in trade, energy, security and culture is an effective mechanism for bilateral cooperation. To date, China and Turkmenistan have signed more than 100 intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents that lay a firm legal foundation for further cooperation.
Touching upon economic and trade relations, the PRC Ambassador noted that bilateral trade amounted to US$ 4.5 million in 1992, and this figure exceeded US$10 billion last year for the first time in the history. China has become the first partner of Turkmenistan in terms of trade turnover, and Turkmenistan became one of the major partners of China.
China and Turkmenistan steadily develop energy cooperation. Our countries view each other as the major partner in the gas sector today. The world’s longest gas pipeline stretching from Turkmenistan to China came into operation in December 2009 and became the new Silk Road, strengthening friendship and cooperation between our countries. Turkmen gas is supplied to many Chinese provinces and autonomous regions, reaching the shores of the Pacific Ocean and bringing benefits to billions of Chinese people. 22 Chinese companies, which take an active part in the implementation of 65 joint projects in the transport, communications, and communications, science and technology, textile and other industries, currently operate in Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan is planning to open the trade representation in China in the current year.
The Ambassador said that moving forwards hand in hand, we would create a brighter future of relations between China and Turkmenistan and untiringly make efforts so that the great dream of the peoples of the two countries would come true.
At the beginning of his interview the Ambassador noted that traditional friendship between China and Turkmenistan was rooted deeply in remote ages. More than 2,000 years ago the Silk Road initiated our friendly relations, closely binding the two peoples at the distance of thousands of kilometres from Xian, the ancient Chinese capital to Mary, an ancient city in Turkmenistan. Chinese porcelain, tea and silk articles entered into the life of the Turkmen people along this way. The pride of the Turkmen nation – an Ahalteke horse – that strode majestically across China and called a ‘heavenly’ racer became an envoy and witness of friendly relations between our countries.
A new page was added to the chronicle of bilateral ties on January 6, 1992 – the day when the People’s Republic of China and Turkmenistan established diplomatic relations.
Mutual understanding, contacts and cooperation between our countries have reached an unprecedented level today. The international flights between Beijing, Urumqi and Ashgabat fly every day, thousands of Turkmen citizens of travel to China every year. The departments of Chinese language and literature opened at the universities of Turkmenistan, Turkmen youth arriving in China to study increase in number. Products of the well-known Chinese brands, such as Lenovo, Huawei, Haier and others, are in high demand among the Turkmen people, Chinese locomotives run along the steel roads across the expanses of the Karakum Desert, and millions of people in China receive warmth and light of the Turkmen land thanks to Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline that stretches 8,000 kilometres.
Many high-level Chinese delegations visit Turkmenistan every year, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has visited China five times. The Intergovernmental Committee for Cooperation established in 2009 at the level of Vice Premiers and consisting of four sub-committees on cooperation in trade, energy, security and culture is an effective mechanism for bilateral cooperation. To date, China and Turkmenistan have signed more than 100 intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents that lay a firm legal foundation for further cooperation.
Touching upon economic and trade relations, the PRC Ambassador noted that bilateral trade amounted to US$ 4.5 million in 1992, and this figure exceeded US$10 billion last year for the first time in the history. China has become the first partner of Turkmenistan in terms of trade turnover, and Turkmenistan became one of the major partners of China.
China and Turkmenistan steadily develop energy cooperation. Our countries view each other as the major partner in the gas sector today. The world’s longest gas pipeline stretching from Turkmenistan to China came into operation in December 2009 and became the new Silk Road, strengthening friendship and cooperation between our countries. Turkmen gas is supplied to many Chinese provinces and autonomous regions, reaching the shores of the Pacific Ocean and bringing benefits to billions of Chinese people. 22 Chinese companies, which take an active part in the implementation of 65 joint projects in the transport, communications, and communications, science and technology, textile and other industries, currently operate in Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan is planning to open the trade representation in China in the current year.
The Ambassador said that moving forwards hand in hand, we would create a brighter future of relations between China and Turkmenistan and untiringly make efforts so that the great dream of the peoples of the two countries would come true.
