File Photo: Emomali Rahmon came to power of the poor mountainous ex-Soviet republic at the start of a five-year civil war that erupted in 1992, AFP
Rakhmon met with Zou Jiayi, the new president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Tajik presidency said on its website.
Questions had been raised about Rakhmon's health, as he had not appeared in public for several weeks -- an unusual absence in a country where every move of his is reported almost daily by a tightly controlled press.
Photos showed Rakhmon shaking hands with Zou and the two meeting around an oval table.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is set to build the largest bridge in Tajikistan, a landlocked region, which is of strategic importance for trade between Europe and Asia.
Russia remains Tajikistan's top trading partner, but over the past decade, China has invested more than four billion dollars in its neighbour.
Rakhmon came to power in the poor mountainous ex-Soviet republic at the start of a five-year civil war that erupted in 1992, a year after Tajikistan declared independence.
A Soviet-era cotton farm boss, he played a key role in ending the conflict and has ruled the nation with an iron fist ever since -- casting himself as a guarantor of stability to a population traumatised by war and fearing destabilisation from neighbouring Afghanistan.
The last time live images of the 73-year-old were aired was on January 28 during a meeting with security chiefs.
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