Beijing seeks to bring ties with Ashgabat to new strategic level
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the agenda of the upcoming Turkmen-Chinese summit talks that will be held in Ashgabat.
The Turkmen government reported that the first state visit of the President of China Xi Jinping to Turkmenistan is expected in autumn of this year.
The sides expressed their confidence that this visit will serve as a powerful incentive to bring bilateral relations to a new level taking into account the mutual focus of the two countries for further productive cooperation.
Beijing has set a goal to elevate cooperation between the two countries to a new strategic level.
"Turkmenistan, which plays a key role in the Central Asian region, is an extremely important partner for China, as well as within the frameworks of steadily increasing cooperation with the countries of the region. This cooperation plays a significant role in the processes of global development," Wang Yi said.
Berdimuhamedov also underscored the strategic character of cooperation with China. The prospects of cooperation in such areas as trade, transport, fuel and energy, textile, chemical industries and communications were separate subjects of discussion.
Currently, China holds first place in the total foreign trade turnover of Turkmenistan, range of export and import goods is constantly being expanded.
China has become a long-term partner of Turkmenistan in the oil and gas sector and is the largest creditor in the country's fuel and energy industry. A transnational gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to China, which passes through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was commissioned in 2009.
In accordance with new agreements, the amount of annual fuel supplied to China will be in perspective increased to 65 billion cubic meters by connecting additional communications.
In 2011, Turkmen gas was sent through a pipeline system in Guangdong province - one of the most populous and fastest developing regions in China, located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
China is also well represented in the Turkmen market in transport and telecommunications.