China and Turkmenistan pledged on Wednesday to strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, expand natural gas cooperation and broaden practical collaboration in non-resource sectors such as connectivity, as President Xi Jinping met in Beijing with National Leader of the Turkmen People Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

Berdimuhamedov, who is also chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, served as the country's president from 2007 to 2022.

His three-day trip, which runs through Thursday, marks the first visit to China by a foreign leader since the conclusion of this year's national two sessions, during which the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development was reviewed and approved.

Xi said that implementation of the plan will lay a solid foundation for China to basically realize socialist modernization and also benefit the rest of the world.

Noting that this year is the Year of the Horse in the Chinese calendar and is also being observed in Turkmenistan under the motto "Independent Neutral Turkmenistan — the Homeland of Purposeful Winged Horses", Xi said he is ready to work with Berdimuhamedov to "advance China-Turkmenistan relations in the spirit of the Akhal-Teke horse — always pressing ahead and taking the lead".

China and Turkmenistan established diplomatic relations in 1992. In 2023, they elevated bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and decided to develop a China-Turkmenistan community with a shared future.

Xi stressed that mutual support is at the core of the China-Turkmenistan comprehensive strategic partnership. Regardless of how the international landscape evolves, China will remain committed to supporting Turkmenistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, supporting its policy of permanent neutrality, and remaining a trustworthy partner.

He called on the two sides to accelerate the alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with Turkmenistan's strategy to revive the Great Silk Road, expand the scale of natural gas cooperation, raise trade and investment, and broaden cooperation in connectivity, agriculture, artificial intelligence, the digital economy and clean energy.

Xi also urged faster progress in the development of the Luban Workshop and the traditional Chinese medicine center as well as the establishment of cultural centers in each other's countries, to foster a new pattern of all-around cooperation.

The two countries should step up efforts to combat the three evil forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism in order to reinforce the security shield for the development of the two countries, he said.

Facing mounting global challenges, Xi said that China is ready to work with Turkmenistan to firmly safeguard the status and authority of the United Nations, practice true multilateralism, uphold the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefit, and steer global governance reform under the principles of fairness, justice, openness and inclusiveness.

Berdimuhamedov said that he was pleased to visit China and that the country's prosperity and development benefit the whole world.

He said that under Xi's personal leadership, Turkmenistan-China relations have enjoyed rapid and steady growth, with close exchanges between legislative bodies and political parties and fruitful cooperation across a wide range of fields.

Berdimuhamedov said Turkmenistan will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle and is willing to strengthen the alignment of development strategies with China, expand practical cooperation in energy, trade and connectivity, and work together for development, prosperity, security and stability.

He thanked China for supporting Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality, highly praised the four global initiatives put forward by Xi, and commended China for upholding a just position in international affairs.

He added that Turkmenistan is ready to enhance coordination with China in multilateral platforms including the UN and the China-Central Asia mechanism to jointly safeguard regional and world peace and stability.