The decision of Tajikistan’s authorities to connect to Chinese telecommunications networks has raised concerns among experts who believe that Chinese restrictions on the Internet will be imported into Tajikistan.
On November 14, Tajikistan’s Communications Service, the regulatory body for telecommunications and the Internet, announced that “Tajikistan’s telecommunications networks will be directly connected to China’s telecommunication networks”. The news was also published by the state news agency Khovar.
Without naming a specific date, the Communications Service said that the connection of Tajikistan’s telecommunications networks to China’s networks “will be realized in the near future” and that this work “is of great importance for Tajikistan’s communications sphere.” One of the most important items, according to the Communication Service, is “the organization of additional international high-speed fiber-optic communication lines to access the Internet.”
Authorities also hope that connecting to the Chinese network will increase the transit potential of Tajikistan’s telecommunications networks and solve the republic’s communications isolation.
There is no information on when or how Tajikistan will be connected to China’s telecommunications network. The Communications Service only added that this work “is being carried out within the framework of the Project for the construction of a high-speed trunk transportation network along the Dushanbe-Kulyab-Darvaz-Darvaz-Rushan-Khorog-Kulma direction”. The construction of this road is proceeding in phases. China will pay for part of the construction of this road.
Tajikistan’s telecommunications companies currently purchase internet mainly from Kazakhstan. Previously, the communication line went to Tajikistan through Kyrgyzstan, but now its route goes through Uzbekistan. In case of connection to the Chinese telecommunication networks, this will be the second route to connect to the Internet. However, there are different points of view on the issue of connecting to the Internet through China.
Mukhammadi Ibodulloyev, head of the Internet Policy Citizens’ Initiative Foundation, said connecting to China’s telecom networks would allow Tajikistan to use it in case of force majeure, including breaking cables with the line that goes through Uzbekistan.
“It is important that the line is connected. Later, depending on prices, traffic can be used from one or the other line. It is possible to have traffic from both lines at the same time. If we connect the northern parts of Afghanistan to the Internet in the future, we can turn into a hub for them,” the expert said.
But the main concern about connecting to Chinese telecommunications networks is that Tajikistan will import the same internet restrictions that apply in China. The PRC is one of the countries that has imposed strict controls on the internet.
Since 2003, this country has had a special centralized filter called the Golden Shield, also known as the Great Firewall of China.
This system completely filters foreign websites. In particular, the “Great Firewall of China” system has made it virtually impossible for users in China to access the global platforms Google, Yahoo, Bing, X (formerly Twitter), Wikipedia, YouTube and Facebook. All domestic sites are pre-registered and go through vetting procedures.
According to the TechTarget website, all Internet traffic inbound and outbound from China via terrestrial links may be monitored in one way or another by government agencies. This is what has some experts concerned that these restrictions will come to Tajikistan once it connects to Chinese telecommunications networks.
Komil Aminov, a former employee of a Dushanbe telecommunications company, says that connecting to the Chinese telecommunications system entails the following risks for Tajikistan.
“The first risk is China blocking access to various websites. The second is China’s transfer of website blocking technologies to Tajikistan. Technically, China has the ability to impose restrictions. Of course, the question is whether the Chinese authorities use it or not,” the expert notes.
The Communication Service did not give an explanation on this issue to the CABAR.asia reporter.
Cooperation between Dushanbe and Beijing has increased significantly over the past 10-15 years, and China has become one of Tajikistan’s main creditors and investors.
Both supporters and critics of connecting to China’s telecommunications networks say the connection process and contracts between Dushanbe and Beijing should be transparent to eliminate existing concerns.
On the one hand, connecting to Chinese telecom networks could bring high-speed internet to Tajikistan, Komil Aminov said.
“But the bigger concern is that the Chinese have a lot of experience in blocking websites, and they can share that experience and technology with the Tajik authorities,” Aminov said.