Seven countries, including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, held the "Central-2019" anti-terrorism joint military exercise near Orenburg, Russia in September 2019.

(Associated Press file photo)

[Compiled Zhou Hongwen/Comprehensive Report] "Eurasianet" (Eurasianet) of the Harriman Institute of Columbia University reported on the 22nd that the Tajik Ministry of Justice announced on the 21st that Tajikistan has signed a 2-year agreement with China on the grounds of anti-terrorism. The once-a-year joint military exercise agreement has laid the foundation for institutionalized military cooperation between China and Tajikistan for four occasional military exercises since 2006. It also supports rumors that China has actively expanded its security deployment in Tajikistan in recent years.

The "China's 2020 Military and Security Development Annual Report" released by the U.S. Department of Defense in September 2020 clearly named Tajikistan as China's "seeking to build a stronger overseas logistics and infrastructure base, so that the Chinese People's Liberation Army Projecting and Sustaining Military Power" is one of the countries targeted.

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EurAsia.com reported that the past relationship between China and Tajikistan was mainly based on economic exchanges, but there were bilateral joint military exercises in 2006, 2015, 2016, and 2019.

Tajikistan claimed on the 21st that the purpose of the latest military exercise agreement is to strengthen the coordination capabilities of the two sides and enhance the practical and tactical skills of the anti-terrorism forces of the two countries; the weapons and equipment of the military personnel are provided by the host country; The size is kept secret.

Relations between Tajikistan and Tajikistan, the poorest country in Central Asia and a member of the China-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), have previously revolved around Tajikistan's debtor status.

Since Tajikistan faced economic difficulties after independence from the Soviet Union, China has provided economic assistance to Tajikistan many times, including loans and free aid, and built infrastructure such as bridges and roads in Tajikistan. assistance.

It is estimated that Tajikistan owes China at least 2 billion U.S. dollars (about 62.9 billion Taiwan dollars), and it is also where Chinese miners look for raw ore.

In 2016, it was reported that China had established a military facility in a remote area adjacent to Afghanistan in the east of Tajikistan, and the relationship between the two sides began to turn around.

Tajikistan officials still deny the existence of the facility, but a security source in Tajikistan told the country’s newspaper Asia-Plus in 2019 that the facility is a border post for the border guards of Tajikistan, but it is managed by China. Funded to build, the two countries signed a contract in October 2016; based on this agreement, China also began to set up a total of 3 command centers, 5 border service posts, 5 border service checkpoints and 1 training center on the Tajikistan border after appropriating funds. center.

In October last year, Tajikistan announced that China would establish a garrison for a special rapid response force in the mountainous Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Prefecture (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region) of Vakhon (Vakhon); The Chinese base is also in the province, but Tajikistan officials claim the facility is for the exclusive use of Tajikistan forces.