Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, First Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Ding Xuexiang will visit Turkmenistan from April 15 to 17 and will take part in the ceremony marking the start of construction of the fourth phase of the gas field “Galkynysh,” according to the news agency Orient.

The Vice Premier of China’s State Council will visit Turkmenistan as the special representative of the President of China Xi Jinping. The project is viewed as key for expanding Turkmen gas exports to China and strengthening long-term energy cooperation between the two countries. The new phase will serve as a basis for stable supplies via additional routes of the gas pipeline.

As part of the visit, the seventh meeting of the intergovernmental Turkmen-Chinese committee will also be held, where the sides will discuss investment, technological development, personnel training, and issues of energy security.

The visit is timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the energy partnership between Turkmenistan and China, which is currently developing toward deeper strategic and technological cooperation.