Azerbaijan, China forge strategic partnership amid SCO summit A milestone in bilateral ties

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit of member states took place in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev was participating as an honorary guest by invitation of President Tokayev. This marks President Aliyev's second participation in the summit of this international organization, underscoring Azerbaijan's significant authority in global politics. President Aliyev previously attended the SCO summit in September 2022 in the Uzbek city of Samarkand.

During the SCO summit, the President of Azerbaijan has already held meetings with the leaders of China, Türkiye, Russia, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan, discussing urgent issues related to political, trade-economic, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation. Azerbaijan has developed close relations with each of these countries in practically all spheres. However, amidst the rapidly changing global order, the intensification of ties between Baku and Beijing deserves special attention. Today, the development of bilateral relations with China, particularly in trade, economy, and transportation, is a priority in Azerbaijan's foreign policy. This is underscored by the recently signed "Joint Declaration on Establishing a Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China."

The establishment of trustful partnership relations between the two countries plays an important role, with the relationship between leaders serving as a crucial factor. Once again, this was confirmed by the meeting held between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit, during which both sides expressed commitment to continuing fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation.

“China-Azerbaijan relations are based on sincerity and mutual trust. Our countries are good friends and good partners, grounded in equality and mutual benefit. China-Azerbaijan relations have always developed in a healthy and stable manner. Cooperation between the two countries has yielded effective results and reached a richer strategic content. Today, we will adopt a Joint Declaration. With this document, we will elevate our bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership. This also marks a new starting point. We will continue to enhance mutual support for the prosperity of our peoples," Xi Jinping said.

In turn, Ilham Aliyev said: “Our countries are close partners, and the Declaration to be adopted today officially makes the People's Republic of China and Azerbaijan strategic partners. I think this is a great achievement and also a great responsibility. We intend to actively interact and strengthen bilateral relations in all directions in the future.

Indeed, a friendly relationship based on mutual trust has been established between President Ilham Aliyev and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Xi Jinping was among the first heads of state to congratulate President Ilham Aliyev on his recent presidential election victory. In April 2019, at Xi Jinping's invitation, President Ilham Aliyev participated in the Second Belt and Road Forum. The heads of the two states also met during the previous summit on September 15, 2022, in Samarkand. However, the current meeting on the same international platform is extremely important for defining new prospects for cooperation in the status of strategic partners.

The "Joint Declaration on Establishing a Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and China," signed on July 3, plays a crucial role against the backdrop of the current complex geopolitical and regional situation. A clear indication of Azerbaijan's firm intention to strengthen ties with China was the visit of the President's Assistant and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev, to China in March of this year. This visit was not merely protocol; it affirmed Azerbaijan's multi-vector foreign policy in the international arena and emphasized the special place reserved for cooperation with China.

Moreover, Hajiyev's visit underscored Azerbaijan's view of China as a priority strategic partner, which is logical in the rapidly changing global order. China is a technologically advanced country with significant weight in global politics. Hajiyev's visit lifted the relations between our countries to a new, more qualitative level, as evidenced by his post on the social media platform "X".

Following his meeting with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, Hajiyev wrote: “With the Deputy Foreign Minister of China Sun Weidong, we stressed our satisfaction on the status of our bilateral cooperation and expressed mutual will to elevate to qualitatively new level our traditionally friendly partnership. Views were exchanged on further operalization of Middle Corridor as part of BRI, interaction within COP29 as both countries represent Global South and mutual support at international organizations. China's support to Azerbaijan's green growth and digital transformation agenda is highly appreciated.”

In short, the visit of the Azerbaijani President's assistant played a significant role in strengthening bilateral cooperation.

China is one of Azerbaijan's top five trading partners. In 2023, the trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $3.1 billion. Additionally, Azerbaijan hosts over 300 Chinese companies operating across various sectors of the economy. China has invested $930.8 million USD in Azerbaijan's economy, while Azerbaijan has invested $263.3 million USD in China.

Azerbaijan was among the first countries to support China's Belt and Road Initiative and has established close cooperation with China in global initiatives focusing on transport and logistics. Over the first nine months of 2023, freight volume along the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) increased by 88%, reaching 2 million tons. Transit traffic through Azerbaijan increased by approximately 75% in 2022. With the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, an increase in transit volume by 5-8 million tons annually is expected. Furthermore, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway reduced transit time for goods from China to Türkiye from 1 month to 12 days. Delivery of these goods to Western European countries via Türkiye now takes only 18 days.

Cooperation with China in the field of energy transition and renewable energy is also progressing successfully. The cooperation began with the Chinese company BYD Company Limited in producing electric buses in Azerbaijan. As part of COP29, scheduled for November 2024 in Azerbaijan, an order has been placed for the supply of 160 BYD electric buses and 100 electric charging stations. Local bus production is planned to commence in 2025.

Friendly relations between regions and cities of the countries are steadily developing. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is considered the main driving force behind cultural and humanitarian exchanges between the two countries. The Foundation successfully implements various projects in collaboration with the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

Cooperation in science and education is actively progressing as well. There is a department for teaching the Azerbaijani language at a language university in Beijing, and Confucius Institutes continue their successful operation in Azerbaijan's higher education institutions.

Undoubtedly, the recent meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Xi Jinping will further deepen cooperation between the countries, giving new content and quality to mutual contacts.

In conclusion, it is important to note the main point. Azerbaijan has made its geopolitical choice - Baku and Beijing are in the same bloc. Here, it can confidently be said that the defining factor is that both countries reject the dictate of power and anyone's hegemony.

Secondly, protecting national interests is a priority of state policy for both countries. Having fully restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty, Azerbaijan has already proven to the world that it is an independent state whose position and opinion must be respected by all countries, regardless of their size or status in international relations. This implies that no country in the region can pursue their interests without Azerbaijan's awareness or consent. This applies not only to France, which, after its shameful expulsion from the African continent and domestic policy failures, continues to harbour imperial ambitions towards the region but also to India, which, by arming Armenia, contributes to militarization and chaos in the South Caucasus.

Considering all these geopolitical challenges, Azerbaijan's choice in favour of a strategic partnership with China once again reaffirms the wisdom of President Ilham Aliyev's well-known phrase: "I know when and how to do what needs to be done." No state conducting provocative policies in the South Caucasus will succeed in countering Baku's stance.

Note: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Azerbaijan currently holds dialogue partner status within the SCO. In 2016, Azerbaijan signed a memorandum with the organization outlining areas of cooperation, including combating terrorism, extremism, and separatism, as well as ensuring regional security and stability—traditional priority areas for the SCO that hold particular significance for the country. Additionally, the organization promotes inter-civilizational dialogue, multiculturalism, and tolerance, areas in which Azerbaijan notably plays a special role.