National Leader of the Turkmen People and Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty (People's Council) Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov presented Chinese President Xi Jinping with an Ahal-Teke horse named Gadyrly on behalf of Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov during a friendly visit to China, the State News Agency of Turkmenistan reported.

Accepting the gift, Xi Jinping noted that Ahal-Teke horses are highly revered in China and recalled that 12 years ago he had been given an Ahal-Teke horse named Gahryman. The Chinese leader quoted the Turkmen proverbs "At – myrat" and "At agynan ýerde toý bolar," calling Gadyrly's horse a great honor not only for himself but for the entire Chinese people.

The tradition of giving horses as gifts dates back to the ancient diplomatic ties between the two peoples—in particular, to the ambassadorial mission of the Chinese Emperor Wu Di to the Parthian Empire, where a horse was considered the most valuable diplomatic gift, the report notes.