China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully implement the important high-level consensus reached with Turkmenistan and deepen energy cooperation, Xinhua News Agency reports.
This was stated by Vice Premier of the State Council of China Ding Xuexiang during a meeting in Beijing with Ashirguly Begliev, Advisor to the President of Turkmenistan on energy issues. Turkmenistan's government delegation has travelled to China to participate in a high-level forum under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Turkmenistan is the only one of the five Central Asian states with a positive trade balance with China, experts told Daryo.
According to China's General Administration of Customs, in the first half of 2023, total trade between the two countries rose 12.3% to $5.55bn, of which Turkmen gas imports accounted for more than $5.05bn.
Deliveries have been made since December 2009, following the commissioning of the Chinese-built gas pipeline through the territory of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Negotiations are underway to build a fourth branch of the pipeline through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The new project could increase annual gas supplies from Turkmenistan from the current 40bn cubic metres to 65bn.
Eziz Boyarov
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