ABSTRACT
The Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted the agreement to the lower house of the country's parliament, but there was no serious deliberation over the outcome. The border between Tajikistan and China separates an Autonomous Province in Tajikistan from an Autonomous County and an Autonomous Province in China. Tajikistan is important for China, not so much because of the relatively minor addition to the People's Republic of China (PRCs) western border, but because of Chinas rapidly and significantly extended influence beyond the border. Tajikistan, in a manner that is similar to all the countries of Central Asia, pursues what is viewed as a multi-vector foreign policy. Many commercial organizations in both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were prevented from enjoying the most basic trade relationships. But Iran's relationship with Tajikistan is complicated by its physical distance from Tajikistan and by the isolated role Iran plays in the international diplomatic and business communities.
