On the afternoon of March 18, 2026, President Xi Jinping met with National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who is on a goodwill visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.
President Xi Jinping noted that China’s annual “two sessions” were successfully concluded not long ago, during which the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for national economic and social development was reviewed and approved. The implementation of this Plan will lay a solid foundation for China to basically achieve socialist modernization, and will also benefit countries around the world. Over the past 35 years since gaining independence, Turkmenistan has blazed a trail of independent development that suits its national conditions. China will work with Turkmenistan to discuss plans for cooperation and share development opportunities as we enter the Year of the Horse, so as to further deepen and substantiate the China-Turkmenistan community with a shared future.
President Xi Jinping underscored that mutual support is the core of the China-Turkmenistan comprehensive strategic partnership. No matter how the international landscape may evolve, China will always support Turkmenistan in upholding its national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, always support Turkmenistan in pursuing a policy of permanent neutrality, and always remain Turkmenistan’s trustworthy cooperation partner. The two sides should work faster to create greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Turkmenistan’s Revival of the Great Silk Road Strategy, expand cooperation in natural gas, enhance the scale of trade and investment, and deepen collaboration in connectivity, agriculture, artificial intelligence, digital economy, clean energy and other non-resource areas. Efforts should also be made to expedite the Luban Workshop, the Traditional Chinese Medicine center, and cultural centers in each other’s country, so as to create a new paradigm of all-round cooperation. The two sides should resolutely combat the “three forces” of terrorism, separatism and extremism, and build a strong security safeguard for the development of both countries. Amid growing global challenges, China will work with Turkmenistan to firmly uphold the status and authority of the United Nations, practice true multilateralism, follow the global governance vision of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and steer global governance reform following the principles of fairness, justice, openness and inclusiveness.
Berdimuhamedov expressed his great pleasure at visiting the great country of China, and congratulated China on the successful conclusion of the “two sessions,” during which important decisions and plans were made for the country’s development. China’s prosperity and development benefit the world. When everything is good in China, the world is better. Under the personal leadership of President Xi Jinping, friendly relations between Turkmenistan and China have been developing in a rapid and steady manner, with close exchanges between legislative bodies and political parties, and substantive cooperation across various fields, bringing this comprehensive strategic partnership to a high level. Bilateral cooperation has become an important and positive factor contributing to the economic and social development of both countries, and serves the long-term interests of the two peoples. Turkmenistan will, as always, remain committed to the one-China principle, and is ready to enhance synergy of development strategies with China, expand practical cooperation in such areas as energy, trade and connectivity, jointly pursue development and prosperity, and promote security and stability. Turkmenistan appreciates China’s support for its status of permanent neutrality, speaks highly of the four global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping as a world-class leader, and commends China’s consistent position of upholding justice in international affairs. Turkmenistan will strengthen coordination and collaboration with China within multilateral frameworks such as the U.N. and the China-Central Asia mechanism to jointly safeguard peace and stability of the region and beyond.
Wang Yi was present at the meeting. ///MFA China, 18 March 2026