President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov is expected in Beijing for the first summit of the China-Central Asia format, scheduled for May. This was stated in a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping on the occasion of the Novruz holiday.
"I pay great attention to the development of China-Turkmen relations and welcome your participation in the first summit of the China-Central Asia format to be held in China in May."
The Chinese leader noted that Berdimuhamedov paid a state visit to China in January 2023, during which they declared together "to realize the concept of a common destiny" between China and Turkmenistan.
China has been the biggest buyer of Turkmen gas since 2009.
Beijing plans to increase its annual purchases to 65bn m3 from the current 40bn by building an additional pipeline through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
In addition, China is studying the possibility of its participation in the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project in order to connect it to its territory through an interconnector.
Turkmenistan, for its part, has been actively buying railcars and telecommunications equipment from China in recent years.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat
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