China and Tajikistan, two members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), have spent several years strengthening bilateral ties and the two countries upgraded their relations to comprehensive strategic partnership in 2017. 

Tajikistan's location makes it a key part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and it is the first country that signed a memorandum of understanding with Beijing on building the Silk Road Economic Belt. China has invested in Tajikistan significantly within the scope of the BRI and it seems to have been a win-win situation for China and Tajikistan. The impact of Chinese investments is being felt by many Tajik citizens. 

Over the years, China has invested in areas that are vital for Tajikistan's development. One example is the Vakhdat-Yovon railway, a line that connects Tajikistan's southern province Khatlon with the country's central areas, which was built by the China Railway Construction Corporation.

The Tajik government frequently express the strong ties it has with the Chinese government, hence many of the country's citizens are aware of Chinese investments in their country and say they can feel the impact in their everyday life. 

Azamat works as a driver in Dushanbe. A trip to Khujand that used to take him 14 hours' drive is now down to about five hours thanks to a tunnel built with Chinese investment. He says in the old days he “couldn't go to Khujand because there were restrictions due to avalanches. Now after the construction of the tunnel”, they are able to travel to Khujand at any time of the year.  

Many Tajiks also say that they are now able to afford better housing due to infrastructure developments created with Chinese cooperation. Azamat went on to say that due to the changes in home-building, construction costs have lowered to the point that it “has decreased housing costs, and has had many other positive effects well”. 

China has also supported Tajikistan's energy needs. The Dushanbe-2 thermal power station, built by Chinese company TBEA, provides heat and electricity for about sixty percent of what the Tajik capital needs, eliminating power cuts in the area. Sharipov, a middle-aged Tajik man, says he remembers the old days when they used to have power cuts regularly. He says he is happy because they “can all keep warm, now no one even turns the lights off”, and he does so with a smile on his face. For many like Sharipov, having stable electricity and running water is a valuable privilege. 

China has become Tajikistan's top investor, with cumulative investment surpassing two billion US dollars, according to Chinese officials. The two countries are also expected to ramp up their cooperation in industries such as agriculture and textiles.