Baku, Beijing ink deal to boost trade, launch investment platform PHOTO

Azerbaijan and China have vowed to establish a working Group to enhance the investment dynamics between their respective countries.

A memorandum was signed at the 10th meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation, which took place in Baku, Caliber.Az reports citing local media outlets.

The meeting was co-chaired by Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Ling Ji on April 16.

Both sides emphasised that the new working group will serve as an important platform for consistent discussions on investment-related matters.

Mustafayev noted that, thanks to the efforts of both countries' leaders, relations between Azerbaijan and China have reached the level of a strategic partnership. In 2023, bilateral trade grew by 21% to $3.7 billion, and in the first three months of 2025 alone, trade increased by 37%. Notably, transit shipments between the two countries increased by 86% in 2024.

Ling Ji expressed China’s readiness to expand the range of Chinese imports of Azerbaijani goods to include agricultural products like pomegranates, wine, nuts, and poultry. He also affirmed Beijing’s support for Baku’s aspiration to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Both sides highlighted the upcoming launch of an electric bus production plant in Azerbaijan by Chinese automotive manufacturer BYD and stressed the importance of cooperation in green energy, high technologies, and logistics.

In the course of the meeting, special attention was paid to the involvement of Chinese companies in the reconstruction of Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, including the delivery of 130,000 mulberry seedlings for agricultural projects in the city of Khojaly.

By Nazrin Sadigova