Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, March 20 / Trend H. Hasanov /
Turkmenistan and China have reached a level of strategic partnership in the field of trade and economic relations. The bilateral trade volume exceeded $3.5 billion in 2011, Turkmen Ambassador to China Gurbannazar Nazarov said, Chinese media reported.
It was announced at a reception of the Turkmen embassy in Beijing, arranged to mark the 20th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relations between the two countries, the newspaper "People's Daily" reported.
Nazarov said that China was one of the first countries which recognized Turkmenistan's independence.
A joint communique was signed to establish diplomatic relations on January 6, 1992. "Both sides reached a high level of bilateral relations thanks to joint efforts over the last 20 years," he said.
According to the information, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping also delivered speech. He stressed that Turkmenistan preserves a political and social stability. The economy is rapidly developing. The Republic actively expands foreign relations and contributes greatly to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.
Guoping added that the Chinese side is willing to make joint efforts to strengthen partnership, friendship and cooperation together with Turkmenistan.
The two countries have already implemented one of the world's largest projects in the transportation of energy resources through the territories of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
The Turkmenistan - China gas pipeline with a length of about 8,000 kilometers was built. It was commissioned in 2009.
China National Petroleum Corporation actively operates on the contractual territory on the right bank of the Amu Darya River. It plans to independently produce gas under theproduction sharing agreement.