China and Tajikistan signed?in Beijing?Monday a treaty
on good-neighborly friendship and cooperation, agreeing to take
bilateral relations to higher levels.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov
signed the treaty after their talks in the Great Hall of the
People.
The two presidents highly evaluated the achievements made by the
two countries in the past 15 years in the development of their
relations.
Rakhmonov arrived in Beijing Monday morning for a seven-day
state visit to China as Hu's guest.
During the talks, Hu said the Chinese side will work with the
Tajik side in advancing bilateral long-term, steady relations of
good-neighborly friendship and cooperation from the following five
aspects.
The first is to maintain bilateral high-level exchanges and
other contacts at various levels to further political ties,
continue mutual support on principled issues concerning their major
interests, and conduct close cooperation in completing timely
demarcation work.
The second is to expand reciprocal cooperation for common
development with an improved trade structure, better cooperation in
crucial areas as communications, power, telecommunications, mineral
resources development, agriculture and border trade, and lay a
sound legal basis for bilateral trade and investment.
The third is to strengthen security cooperation and jointly
prevent and combat cross-border crimes and the "three forces",
namely, terrorism, extremism and separatism.
The fourth is the expansion of cultural and educational
cooperation to aid in enhancing mutual understanding and
traditional friendship.
The fifth is to strengthen consultations and coordination on
major international and regional issues including those existing
within multi-lateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Agreeing with Hu, Rakhmonov said the Tajik side trusts the
future development of bilateral relations, and will further improve
bilateral political relations, promote cooperation in economy,
trade, finance, mineral resources and power, and enhance cultural
and educational exchanges.
He said the Tajik side will strengthen coordination and
cooperation with the Chinese side in international and regional
affairs and firmly fulfill its obligations to combat the "three
forces".
According to the treaty, Tajikistan reaffirms that there is only
one China in the world, and that the government of the People's
Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the
whole of China as well as that Taiwan is an integral part of
Chinese territories.
"The Tajikistan government supports the efforts taken by the
Chinese government to safeguard national sovereignty and
territorial integrity, opposes any attempt aimed at creating 'two
Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan', opposes 'Taiwan independence'
in any form including 'Taiwan independence in legal principle' and
opposes the participation of Taiwan into any international or
regional organization joined only by sovereign countries," said the
treaty.
Tajikistan pledges not to establish official relations in any
form and have any official contacts with the Taiwan authorities and
not to set up a 'representative office' among the Taiwan
authorities, said the treaty.
The treaty said China supports the policies of Tajikistan in
strengthening national independence namely its sovereignty and
territorial integrity while? safeguarding stability and
developing its economy.
The treaty said the two countries are satisfied that the
boundary questions left over by history between the two countries
have been solved in a comprehensive manner, and both countries are
determined to make the boundary one of peace and friendship for
generations to come.
Any party to the treaty will not undertake any alliance that
would hurt the other party and will refrain from any such action,
according to the signed treaty.
"Once international or regional complicated situation occurs or
crisis breaks out, which may threaten peace and security interests
of any party, both parties will immediately coordinate with each
other to make steps in preventing threats," said the treaty.
The two countries agreed to strengthen coordination and
cooperation between relevant departments of both countries within
the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and
continue to take strong measures in jointly fighting terrorism,
separatism and extremism in any form, including the "East
Turkistan" terrorist forces, and organized crimes, illegal
migration, illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons and other
cross-border crimes, according to the treaty.
The two countries stressed that maintaining peace, stability and
lasting development in central Asia is in the common wishes and
fundamental interests of peoples of all countries in the region and
is of great significance to safeguarding peace in Asia and the
world at large, said the treaty.
The treaty said that the two countries will thus strengthen
coordination and cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) and make sure that the SCO plays an
important role in promoting regional economic and social
development.
Five other agreements were also singed during the Tajikistan
president's visit to Beijing, covering many areas, such as
bilateral cooperation of economy and technology, civil aviation
transportation and education.
(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2007)