On January 6, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Turkmen President Berdymukhamedov exchanged congratulatory telegrams to celebrate the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between

the two countries. President Xi stressed his willingness to take the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to continue to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and jointly promote the strategic partnership between China and Turkmenistan to a new level for the benefit of the two countries and their peoples.

Wang Sihai, Director of the Turkmenistan Research Centre of Lanzhou University and Professor of the School of Politics and International Relations, said, firstly, Turkmenistan is located in the core of the history and culture of Central Asia, with a deep historical and cultural heritage. Secondly, as an important hub on the Silk Road, Turkmenistan has obvious advantages in terms of transportation location. In addition, the people of China and Turkmenistan share similar or the same values and cherish each other's brotherhood formed through history. It can be said that Turkmenistan's friendly relations and cooperation with China have a solid historical, cultural, natural resource and political foundation.

China was the first country in the world to establish diplomatic relations with Turkmenistan, the first country to support Turkmenistan's policy of permanent neutrality, the first strategic partner established in the form of a political document, and the first major natural gas trading partner of Turkmenistan. In 2013, China and Turkmenistan established a strategic partnership and took bilateral trade and economic cooperation to a new level. In the same year, the first phase of Turkmenistan's "Renaissance" gas field was completed and put into operation, and China's gas cooperation with Turkmenistan has steadily progressed, becoming a clear manifestation of the mutually beneficial and win-win relationship between the two countries.

In particular, during COVID-19, China and Turkmenistan worked together to overcome the difficulties , especially in the area of vaccines, making a "China-Turkmenistan contribution" to the international fight against the COVID-19. From January to November 2021, the trade volume between China and Turkmenistan was US$6.6 billion, an increase of 10% year-on-year. The development of China-Turkmenistan relations has not only brought tangible benefits to both countries and peoples, but has also made an important contribution to the maintenance of regional peace and stability.

At present, China-Turkmenistan cooperation is at a stage of pragmatic and steady development, and many of its achievements have benefited and driven the development of other Central Asian countries. Wang Sihai believes that, standing at a new historical starting point, China and Turkmenistan will strengthen the dovetailing of the "Revival of the Silk Road" and the "Belt and Road" initiative, providing strategic leadership for deepening cooperation between the two countries. It is foreseeable that the future cooperation between the two sides will not only be limited to strengthening energy cooperation such as natural gas, but will also vigorously expand cooperation in other areas, especially by giving full play to Turkmenistan's geographical advantages and strengthening cross-border infrastructure development. In addition, there are great prospects for China-Turkmenistan cooperation in new technologies, archaeology, health, agriculture, media and other fields.