BEIJING, May 12 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. Xi congratulated Tajikistan on the 35th anniversary of its independence and on the major achievements of its national development. He noted that steadfast mutual support is the defining feature of China-Tajikistan relations. No matter how the external environment evolves, China and Tajikistan will remain good neighbors looking out for each other, good friends sharing candor and mutual trust, and good partners pursuing joint development, Xi said. The signing of the China-Tajikistan Treaty on Permanent Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation will fully demonstrate the high-level political mutual trust between the two countries and provide a solid underpinning for China-Tajikistan everlasting friendship, he said. He added that China stands ready to work with Tajikistan to build an even closer China-Tajikistan community with a shared future and deliver greater benefits to the people of the two countries. Xi stressed that China will, as always, support Tajikistan in following a development path suited to its national conditions and in upholding national independence, sovereignty and security. This year, China begins the implementation of its 15th Five-Year Plan. Tajikistan is also advancing its National Development Strategy for the period up to 2030. The two sides should focus on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and further align their development strategies to support the pursuit of their respective development goals, he said. He said the two sides should build on the strong momentum of economic and trade cooperation, tap into greater cooperation potential, and enhance both the scale and quality of trade and investment, adding that the two sides should guarantee the implementation of major projects and expand cooperation on green energy, digital economy, smart