Li Qiang meets Tajik President Rahmon in Dushanbe, pledges cooperation on digital economy and AI

The digital-economy and AI language is the new layer here, but it arrives attached to a familiar package of infrastructure, minerals and connectivity deals, which suggests technology cooperation is being positioned as an extension of China's broader regional economic footprint rather than a standalone tech agenda. For Central Asian markets, the signal is that Chinese engagement is widening beyond extraction and logistics into data and compute-adjacent sectors, though the item gives no detail on scope, financing or firms involved. Whether the AI and digital commitments move past diplomatic framing into concrete projects is the open question.