Turkmen natural gas supplies to the Chinese market have already exceeded 462 billion cubic meters, and these volumes are set to increase. This was announced by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Guvanch Agajanov at an international scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the two countries' strategic partnership in the gas industry.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the signing of the General Agreement between the governments of Turkmenistan and China on the implementation of the Turkmenistan-China gas pipeline project on April 3, 2006. According to Agajanov, this document laid the political, economic, and legal foundation for strategic cooperation between the two countries in the gas industry.

Over the past two decades, a number of major joint projects have been implemented thanks to a favorable investment climate. The Deputy Prime Minister expressed confidence that the Turkmen-Chinese gas pipeline "will become a modern embodiment of the Great Silk Road, which has historically linked Turkmenistan with China, connecting East and West."

Agajanov also noted that the political will of the parties and commercial interest create favorable conditions for further increasing Turkmen gas supplies to China. Evidence of this, he said, is the start of the fourth stage of development of the “Galkynysh” gas field, a joint effort between the state-owned “Turkmengaz” and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC).