On March 18, 2026, during a friendly visit to the People's Republic of China, National Leader of the Turkmen People, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov met with Dai Houliang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).

After warmly welcoming the Turkmen guest once again, the businessman took the opportunity to convey warm greetings and best wishes to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, noting that it was a great honor for the corporation he leads to meet with the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, and emphasizing that the current visit is a historic event, confirming the high level of Chinese-Turkmen cooperation.

Taking the opportunity, Dai Houliang also extended his heartfelt congratulations to Hero Arkadag and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the upcoming Nowruz holiday.

Thanking them for their warm words, the National Leader of the Turkmen People noted that Turkmenistan, consistently implementing its "open door" policy, attaches particular importance to developing friendly relations with China. It was emphasized that, thanks to the efforts of the President of Turkmenistan and the Chairman of the People's Republic of China, effective interstate cooperation, based on the principles of equality, mutual understanding, and trust, is currently being given new meaning.

During an exchange of views on the current state and prospects of cooperation, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan confirmed his intention to continue exchanging experiences with CNPC and further develop the partnership.

As noted, Turkmen-Chinese cooperation covers a wide range of areas, including political-diplomatic, trade-economic, fuel-energy, transport and communications, logistics, industrial, technological, cultural, and humanitarian spheres. Cooperation in the fuel-energy sector is a priority area of bilateral relations. In this regard, CNPC's important role as a reliable partner for Turkmenistan in the oil and gas industry was emphasized.

The National Leader of the Turkmen People noted that this year marks the 20th anniversary of Turkmenistan's cooperation with CNPC, proposing to hold an international scientific and practical conference to mark this significant anniversary.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan and the head of China's largest corporation exchanged views on the further development of bilateral cooperation.

Speaking about regional projects, the Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan emphasized the strategic importance of the Serhetabat-Herat section, known as the "Arkadagyň ak ýoly" pipeline, which is a key part of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) transnational gas pipeline project.

In turn, the head of CNPC emphasized the outstanding role of the National Leader of the Turkmen people in the implementation of one of the largest projects of the century – the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline, expressing gratitude to the National Leader of the Turkmen people, as well as the President of Turkmenistan for creating favorable investment conditions in the country, which has one of the largest natural gas reserves in the world.

Dai Houliang confirmed his willingness to further develop cooperation with Turkmenistan in the fuel and energy sector, assuring that his corporation will consistently fulfill its partnership obligations responsibly.

At the end of the meeting, the National Leader of the Turkmen People, the Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) expressed confidence in the continued successful development of mutually beneficial cooperation for the prosperity of the peoples of the two countries.