During the reception of a delegation led by Shen Yueyue, Vice-Chairman of the All-China Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the China Committee of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) for Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation, President Ilham Aliyev touched on almost the entire spectrum of cooperation between the two countries. However, there were several significant points worth highlighting. For example, emphasizing the successful development of bilateral relations and noting that they are based on the principles of friendship, mutual understanding, and support, our head of state said that Azerbaijan has always supported China’s territorial integrity and the “One China” policy. In turn, the guest stated that China has also supported the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Azerbaijan. This important point laid the foundation for the warm and trusting relations established between the states.
It is worth noting that the recognition of territorial integrity in April 1992, during the height of the Karabakh war, was very important for our country. Not all countries took this stance, with some either quietly supporting Armenia or openly demanding sovereignty for the Karabakh separatists. This is why today in Azerbaijan, China’s geopolitical choice is warmly perceived as correct from a justice standpoint and aligned with all international norms. China recognized our territorial integrity without any preconditions and established diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan, which has significantly contributed to the successful development of mutual relations based on mutual interests and benefits. Adhering to the same international law norms and principles of universal justice, Azerbaijan has always recognized China’s territorial integrity, dismissing all claims from Taiwan, which are fueled by China’s adversaries.
Another significant moment of the meeting was the mention of Azerbaijan’s active participation in international cooperation within the South-South integration project, particularly in global climate change. What is this project? Admittedly, it is not often mentioned in the media, although this UN initiative has existed for over 50 years and involves cooperation among Global South countries in areas such as enhancing economic potential, knowledge exchange, and capacity building in education and culture, as well as joint activities aimed at climate preservation.
“China supports the choice of the Azerbaijani people regarding their development path,” said Shen Yueyue. This support is indeed significant, encompassing both individual projects and Azerbaijan’s involvement in large geoeconomic projects like the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the development of the Middle Corridor. For example, the construction of the Garadagh Solar Power Plant with a capacity of 230 MW, in which a Chinese company participated as an EPC contractor, stands as the largest new energy project in Azerbaijan, connected to the national power grid and producing 500 million kWh of electricity annually. Moreover, a Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of renewable energy projects with a capacity of 2 GW was signed between the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan and China Gezhouba Group Overseas Investment, which includes the construction of 60 MW and 100 MW solar power plants.
When discussing a country like China, it is challenging to focus solely on individual projects. With a projected GDP growth of about 5% in 2024, implying trillions of dollars, and defense spending increases of 7.2% in 2024, exceeding $231 billion, their scale is incomparable. Therefore, it is crucial for Azerbaijan to maintain and expand trade and economic interaction. Currently, China ranks fourth among Azerbaijan’s foreign trade partners and second among importing countries. Azerbaijan, in turn, is China’s largest trading partner in the South Caucasus. In 2022, Azerbaijani-Chinese trade relations grew by more than 21% compared to the previous year, reaching approximately $2.2 billion. Last year, this figure increased by another 44% to $3.1 billion. Unfortunately, the 2020 pandemic impacted trade between the countries: while trade turnover grew by 96% in 2019, it decreased by almost 25% in 2020. However, China’s share in Azerbaijan’s total imports increased to 13%.
It is impossible to discuss trade between the countries without mentioning the global trade route project from China, the “Belt and Road Initiative.” Within this framework, goods from China are delivered to Azerbaijan and then to Europe. The first container train from China to Azerbaijan arrived at the Baku International Sea Trade Port on February 17, 2021, carrying household appliances and chemicals in 81 containers (40 feet each), 50 of which belonged to Azerbaijan. In December 2020, transit from Turkey to China began via the BTK railway. The train from Istanbul reached Xi’an, China, in just 15 days, demonstrating the route’s efficiency.
In conclusion, despite the successes in Azerbaijan-China cooperation in politics, economy, investments, transportation, green energy, public diplomacy, and other areas, there is enormous growth potential. Undoubtedly, Azerbaijani-Chinese relations will reach new heights each year.
Rauf Nasirov
