During the working visit of the Turkmenistan delegation, led by the Chairperson of the Mejlis, D. Gulmanova, to the People’s Republic of China, negotiations were held aimed at strengthening bilateral inter-parliamentary relations and expanding cooperation in various fields. The key event of the visit was an expanded meeting with the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Zhao Leji, according to the Mejlis of Turkmenistan.
During the meeting, the parties emphasized the importance of the United Nations’ adoption of the Resolutions “2025 – International Year of Peace and Trust” and “Permanent Neutrality of Turkmenistan,” initiated by Turkmenistan. The Turkmen delegation expressed gratitude to China for supporting these initiatives, highlighting the significance of mutual support within the UN framework.
Particular attention was paid to strengthening friendly relations at the highest level and implementing agreements reached during the visit of the President of Turkmenistan to China.
The discussions covered prospects for parliamentary cooperation in the “Central Asia – China” format, including the possibility of establishing an inter-parliamentary council and holding a joint forum titled “Turkmenistan – China: Women and Youth.”
The importance of intensifying the activities of inter-parliamentary friendship groups was noted, which will contribute to the development of cooperation between specialized committees, young parliamentarians, and women parliamentarians, as well as the organization of joint events such as meetings and conferences.
The Chinese side expressed readiness to further expand cooperation in key areas such as science, education, healthcare, and agriculture.
D. Gulmanova highly appreciated the current state of inter-parliamentary relations and expressed confidence in their further strengthening. She also expressed hope that Zhao Leji would participate in international events dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s Permanent Neutrality, to be held in 2025 – the International Year of Peace and Trust.
Xinhua reports some details about the talks:
China’s top legislator Zhao Leji held talks with Dunyagozel Gulmanova, chairperson of the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, in Beijing on Thursday.
Zhao, chairman of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that in January 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov jointly announced the elevation of bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
In October of the same year, President Xi held friendly exchanges with Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan, who came to China to attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, drawing a new blueprint for cooperation in various fields between the two countries, Zhao added.
He also said that China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, strengthen cooperation in various fields, and continuously enrich the connotation of bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership.
China highly appreciates Turkmenistan’s firm support for China’s position on the Taiwan question and issues related to Xinjiang and human rights, Zhao said, adding that China will, as always, firmly support Turkmenistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and security, and support Turkmenistan in pursuing a permanent neutrality policy and following a development path that suits its national conditions.
China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to strengthen the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative with Turkmenistan’s development strategy to revive the Great Silk Road, explore new measures to deepen cooperation concerning connectivity and agriculture, and expand cooperation in terms of culture, tourism and education, Zhao stated.
He called on the two sides to jointly promote the implementation of the three major global initiatives proposed by President Xi, safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and practice true multilateralism.
He further said that the legislative bodies of China and Turkmenistan have always maintained friendly exchanges, and the NPC of China is willing to join hands with the Mejlis of Turkmenistan, strengthen friendly exchanges at multiple levels among legislative bodies, deepen exchanges of experience in legislation, supervision and governance, and create a favorable legal environment for practical cooperation between the two countries.
Gulmanova, meanwhile, said that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership has achieved vigorous development in various fields including politics, economy, diplomacy and culture.
The Mejlis of Turkmenistan is willing to deepen friendly exchanges with the NPC of China, and enhance communication among special committees, youth and women parliamentarians and representatives, Gulmanova added.
Visit to the Song Qingling Center
On 22 May 2025, the Turkmenistan delegation visited the Song Qingling Center for Youth Scientific, Technical, and Cultural Exchange in Beijing. During the visit, the guests were introduced to the foundation’s activities aimed at promoting children’s health.
The Chinese side highly praised the work of the Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov Charitable Foundation for Assisting Children in Need of Care, noting the prospects for bilateral cooperation.
It is worth recalling that in March 2025, the Vice-Chairperson of the Song Qingling Foundation, Shen Beili, participated in an international conference in the city of Arkadag dedicated to advancing international activities for the benefit of children. ///nCa, 23 May 2025