Baku and Beijing strengthen the alliance of “ancient civilizations”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has begun a state visit to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which will last until April 24. The trip took place at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Aliyev intends to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries, including by signing an agreement on visa-free travel.

On the eve of the visit, the Azerbaijani president gave an interview to the Chinese Xinhua news agency. In it, he recalled that last summer the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement. “We agreed to further expand this cooperation, strengthen cooperation in international affairs, jointly protect the common interests of the two countries, as well as jointly promote regional and global peace, stability and development,” Aliyev stressed.

In practice, this led to the fact that by the end of 2024, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China increased by 20.7% to $3.7444 billion. Beijing has become Baku’s fourth largest trading partner and the main importer, accounting for 17.69% of all shipments to the country. The volume of transit traffic between Azerbaijan and China in 2024 amounted to 378 thousand tons. This is 86% more than in 2023.

At the same time, Aliyev believes that there is still room for growth. “Despite the progressive trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, there is a huge potential that has not yet been realized… Currently, negotiations are underway between Azerbaijan and China on the prospects for joint cooperation in the non–oil sector, in particular in attracting direct investments aimed at high technologies and innovations, alternative and renewable energy,” the head of the republic said.

In addition, in an interview with Xinhua, Aliyev tried to present Baku as one of the main defenders of the global South. In turn, the interviewer called China and Azerbaijan “centers of civilizations on the ancient Silk Road.”

“China’s achievements and successes in all areas under the decisive and wise leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping have made it one of the most powerful and advanced countries in the world and further strengthened its position in the international arena… I remember with great warmth our meetings and fruitful discussions with President Xi Jinping. I am glad that the Azerbaijani-Chinese relations, based on ancient history and good traditions, are developing in an ascending line, and our strategic partnership is enriched with new positive content,” Aliyev concluded.

Elkhan Shahinoglu, head of the Atlas Azerbaijan Center for Political Studies, told NG that Baku and Beijing have been actively increasing economic cooperation recently. In particular, on November 24 last year, Azerbaijan sent the first train with domestic goods to China.

“One of the important reasons why Azerbaijan attaches great importance to cooperation with China is the Middle Corridor project. It enhances Azerbaijan’s role in the Eurasian region. The Zangezur Corridor (a road project through the territory of Armenia connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan Autonomous Region. – “NG”) may further raise the importance of the “Middle Corridor”. If Armenia does not want to stay away, it should hurry up. Otherwise, Azerbaijan will use alternative routes through Georgia and Iran,” the expert stressed.

At the same time, Shahinoglu noted that Azerbaijan, unlike the Central Asian countries, did not attract large loans from China, as it does not want to become dependent on China. “Baku will continue to take a cautious position on this issue. Moreover, close cooperation between the two countries should not negatively affect Azerbaijan’s relations with the United States. The republic will not upset the balance in relations between Beijing and Washington from a political point of view,” the expert noted.

Chairman of the Board of the Center for the Analysis of International Relations (CAMO) Farid Shafiev told NG that Azerbaijan buys a large sector of goods from China, from building materials and household appliances to cars. At the same time, he explained that Armenia can join the Middle Corridor project, but without its participation it will not become less attractive.

“For Azerbaijan, the priority route to the West passes through Georgia. The Zangezur Corridor may become an additional route, but even without it, the Middle Corridor will work normally. And in general, Azerbaijani-Chinese relations are developing without regard to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,” the expert believes.

According to Shafiyev, one of the main results of Aliyev’s visit to China should be an agreement on visa-free travel between the two countries. In 2023, Baku unilaterally lifted barriers for Chinese travelers, and now it expects the same from Beijing.