Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that China is willing to help Tajikistan strengthening the construction of the public health system, including COVID-19 vaccine cooperation.

Wang made the remarks as he held talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on the sidelines of the second China plus Central Asia (C+C5) foreign ministers meeting in the Chinese city of Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Wang said that the supporting measures will include building China-Tajikistan traditional medical centers, carrying out telemedicine, medical staff training, COVID-19 prevention and control as well as cooperation in other areas. 

The two countries should facilitate the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and leverage the level of economic and trade cooperation with normalized measures of COVID-19 prevention and control in place, Wang said.

Muhriddin appreciated the Chinese side for greatly helping the country fighting the pandemic, developing the economy and maintaining security.

He also said that Tajikistan is willing to expand the BRI cooperation and work together in the fields including energy, agriculture, connectivity and digital economy to realize a greater development of the bilateral ties.

(Cover: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) and Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)