China and Tajikistan agreed to continue boosting bilateral pragmatic cooperation to further develop and deepen their strategic partnership.

The consensus was written into a joint declaration signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Tajik counterpart, Emomali Rahmon.

The two sides will make continued efforts to improve the trade and investment environment, provide favorable conditions for the market access of goods, services, technology and capital on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, the document said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (1st L) and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon (2nd L) attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tajikistan section of Line D of the Central Asia-China Gas Pipeline in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, Sept. 13, 2014.(Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Dushanbe and Beijing have launched construction of a key gas pipeline that will turn Tajikistan into a transit country for Central Asian gas supplies to neighboring China.

The project has “immense political, economic, and historical significance,” Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon said at the groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday. His visiting Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, described the pipeline as a “symbol of China-Tajikistan friendship.”

The link will supplement the existing Central Asia pipeline running from Turkmenistan to China via Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The new section bypassing Kazakhstan and passing through Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, known as Line D, will increase the pipeline’s overall annual capacity by 30 billion cubic meters, to around 85 billion. Like the other lines, it will also pass through Uzbekistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Tajik counterpart attend a power project ceremony in Dushanbe, Tajikistan pic.twitter.com/Qk2yd5jP6l

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 14, 2014

China, Tajikistan agree to boost pragmatic cooperation

China and Tajikistan agreed to continue boosting bilateral pragmatic cooperation to further develop and deepen their strategic partnership.