China resumes work on highway project in Tajikistan close to Afghan border
Chinese workers have resumed construction on a key highway project in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan after a months-long suspension prompted by security concerns, according to Eurasianet.
Officials from Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport confirmed that work has restarted on a 109-kilometre section of the Dushanbe–Kulma highway.
Construction reportedly resumed in April after authorities assured Beijing that additional security measures would be put in place to protect Chinese personnel involved in the project.
The project had been paused in late 2025 after China advised its citizens to withdraw from border regions following a series of violent incidents.
The advisory followed an attack in November on a road construction crew that left two people dead and two others injured. In a separate incident later that year, three Chinese nationals were also killed.
Tajik authorities initially attributed both attacks to militant groups, though those claims have not been independently verified.
According to the report, Chinese workers currently on site are being protected by Tajik special forces. Tajikistan’s Defence Ministry has also indicated that joint military exercises between Tajik and Chinese forces are expected to take place in September.
The renewed construction and security cooperation come after the signing of a Treaty of Friendship between Tajikistan and China in May, which paved the way for agreements worth around $8 billion involving Chinese entities.
