Chinese Province To Invest $800 Million In Tajikistan

A Chinese province has agreed to invest $800 million in Tajikistan's agricultural sector.

The agreement was signed in Beijing on November 7 during a meeting between visiting Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and the governor of China's Henan province, Xie Fuzhan.

Rahmon also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 7.

Tajik and Chinese officials discussed and signed documents relating to projects involving construction of a Tajik segment of a gas pipeline, a hydropower station, and a railway in Tajikistan, as well as joint efforts to renovate a Tajik aluminum plant, Rahmon's office said.

Tajikistan is the poorest of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia, a region where Beijing is vying for influence with Russia and the West.

Rahmon arrived in Bejing on November 6 and will take part in an Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) summit there on November 10-11.