ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 21. The President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, will pay an official visit to Turkmenistan at the invitation of Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Trend reports via the press service of the Turkmen government.
The confirmation was detailed in a formal acceptance letter sent by the Chinese leader in response to the invitation extended by the Turkmen head of state.
In his letter, Xi Jinping highly praised President Serdar Berdimuhamedov’s sustained efforts to develop China–Turkmenistan relations, strengthen traditional ties of friendship, and expand multi-sectoral strategic cooperation.
Since 2023, bilateral relations have held the status of a comprehensive strategic partnership, with a strong focus on the construction of the “China–Turkmenistan Community of Shared Future.”
China remains Turkmenistan’s leading economic and energy partner, with bilateral trade turnover reaching approximately $2.2 billion in the first quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, natural gas constitutes the core of this strategic partnership between countries. Turkmenistan exports between 30 and 40 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually to China via the Central Asia–China gas pipeline network (Lines A, B, and C), accounting for roughly 90% of total Turkmen gas exports. This cooperation reached a new milestone in April 2026 with the launch of construction on the fourth phase of the giant Galkynysh gas field, where China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) acts as the general contractor. This expansion phase is expected to add up to 10 billion cubic meters of commercial gas per year, in line with long-term plans to increase supplies to Beijing to 65 billion cubic meters in the future.
