OREANDA-NEWS. June 21, 2010. The first Turkmen-Chinese business forum that became a new important step to enhance cooperation between the two countries was held in Ashgabat

As is known, strategic partnership between Turkmenistan and the People’s Republic of China is built on a long-term basis that is vividly illustrated by the grandiose scale of joint projects, fruitful collaboration and exchange of visits in various formats and what is more important, intensity of intergovernmental talks at the top level.

The Chinese delegation consisted of the representatives of over forty companies including the world-renowned ones such as CNPC, ZTE, Huawei, Lenovo, Sinofert. Turkmenistan was represented at the business forum by the leading sectors of the national economy including the fuel and energy sector, transport and communications, tourism, construction, food and textile industries, agriculture and the Union of Manufacturers and Entrepreneurs.

Opening the forum Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee of the Communist Party He Guoqiang emphasized in particular that the traditions of friendship between Turkmenistan and China were deeply rooted in antiquity when our countries laid on the Great Silk Road.

Today these traditions had been revived and filled with a new content. Though in recent years the countries had made substantial progress in expanding partnership and establishing fruitful contacts in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, our cooperation had good prospects and profound potential.

Addressing the forum Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, head of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee He Guoqiang underscored the success of the recent meeting with President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov that had resulted in reaching the important agreements and signing the intergovernmental documents.

Addressing the forum the Deputy Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China said that the business forum and meeting of the business circles of the two friendly states in the Turkmen capital vividly exemplified the movement of the two dynamically developing economies towards each other, and this vividly illustrated intense interest in furthering mutually advantageous cooperation, sustainability and long life of economic contacts.

The reports presented at the forum emphasized that both Turkmenistan and China were utmost interested in strengthening strategic partnership. The constructive foreign policy pursued by the Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov played a substantial role in this process. This policy based on the principles of openness and pragmatism was aimed at deeply diversifying economy.

It was noted that 37 enterprises with the Chinese capital share operating in Turkmenistan implemented 57 investment projects amounted totally to over USD 4.163 billion and over 2.328 billion Yuan.

The Chinese companies successfully operate in the oil and gas industry, deliver high-tech telecommunications equipment, and collaborate in a number of large-scale infrastructure projects in Turkmenistan. In its turn, the vast Chinese market is very attractive for Turkmen commodities. In this regard the vast opportunities are opened up for exports of Turkmen hydrocarbons and agricultural goods and a broad range of other commodities

Dynamic development of economic cooperation is strikingly illustrated by a rapid increase in trade as high as ten times in the epoch of new Revival. Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, in particular training highly qualified specialists for various sectors, and cultural exchange were of paramount interest.

After concluding the plenary meeting held in the conference hall of the Ministry of Textile Industry, the business forum was continued at the Altyn Yyldyz Cultural Centre in the format of bilateral meetings focusing on the specific aspects of cooperation. Over a dozen of ‘sectoral’ roundtables in the important and very promising fields such as oil and gas, energy, construction, chemical, textile industries, railway transport, communications, agriculture, trade and banking activity of partnership as were organized.

Summing up the meeting the forum participants were unanimous that the agreements reached in Ashgabat would give a new impetus to develop Turkmen-Chinese economic cooperation and use the existing potential effectively.

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In Ashgabat the Chinese guests visited the Turkmen Carpet Museum where they could see the unique large collection of wonderful Turkmen carpet that had no analogues in the world. The participants of the Turkmen-Chinese business forum visited the Gulistan shopping centre, the central department store where they highly evaluated the quality and wide range of goods.

On that day the delegation of the friendly country left Ashgabat.