China will build nine border facilities in the border regions of Tajikistan with Afghanistan. The total construction cost is over 550 million somoni ($57.36 million) and will be fully covered by the Chinese government. The Tajik side, in turn, is responsible for exempting the project from taxes and customs duties, as well as other mandatory payments, Asiaplus.tj reports.
The draft agreement was recently reviewed and adopted at a session of the Tajik parliament.
The project aims to strengthen the logistical capabilities of the Tajik Border Troops.
Murodali Rajabzoda, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for National Security of Tajikistan (SCNS), announced at a parliamentary session that the project is planned for three phases, and exchange letters for the second phase have already been signed.
According to the exchange letters, the total construction area is 17,109 square meters, and the necessary construction costs for these border facilities amount to approximately 569 million somoni (424.83 million Chinese yuan) and are "provided by the Chinese government free of charge."
"The Tajik side is responsible for ensuring exemptions from taxes and customs duties, as well as other mandatory payments, to implement these letters," stated Rajabzoda.
The specific districts in which these border facilities will be built and the nature of these facilities have not yet been specified.
Beijing will also provide all the infrastructure
Bahriddin Ziyoi, a member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon Committee on Law and Order, Defense, and Security, noted during the review of the project that the Chinese side is also responsible for conducting research and design work, providing equipment, and the necessary construction materials.
China will also send engineers to the republic, install and configure the equipment, and provide the necessary office and residential furniture and computers. It will also build access roads, water supply and sewerage lines, connect electricity to the facilities, and undertake other necessary infrastructure work.
It is reported that Beijing's funding for this project will begin after the completion of internal procedures in China.
According to him, the exchange letters were approved by the Tajik government back in November 2025, sent to parliament, and coordinated with other ministries and agencies.
"These letters underwent an anti-corruption review, and no factors conducive to corruption were identified in them," he said.
Bahriddin Ziyo noted that, according to the State Committee for National Security, during the first phase of this project in 2017-2018, 12 border facilities were built in Tajikistan's border regions with Afghanistan with Chinese funding.
Rumors surrounding Chinese military aid
It should be noted that the earlier announcement of the construction of a new base for Tajik forces at China's expense in Badakhshan sparked discussions about that country's military presence in Central Asia.
Specifically, this issue was raised in the Tajik parliament in October 2021, when it was stated that a new facility would be built in the Badakhshan region based on an agreement between the Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security.
The Tajik Ministry of Internal Affairs later denied this information, stating that "reports that a Chinese military base is being built on Tajik territory are untrue. This issue is not on the agenda of bilateral relations."
However, the issue resurfaced in 2024 after a publication in the British newspaper The Telegraph, which claimed that "China, faced with the growing threat from the Taliban in Afghanistan, is secretly building a military base on Tajik territory."
This time, the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the existence of a Chinese base in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
March 11, 2026