China Centre opens in Baku as cooperation with Beijing expands PHOTO

A China Centre has been opened at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Baku, marking a new step in the development of cooperation between the two countries.

The opening ceremony was attended by Liu Haixing, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, as well as Deputy Chairman and Head of the Central Apparatus of the New Azerbaijan Party Tahir Budagov and Rector of the State Academy of Public Administration, Academician Urkhan Alakbarov. Liu Haixing, Tahir Budagov and Urkhan Alakbarov took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

Speaking at the opening, Liu Haixing said relations between China and Azerbaijan are developing across various fields and acquiring increasingly concrete substance.

He stressed that political trust and personal friendship between the leaders of the two countries are of great importance to the further development of bilateral relations.

“We are glad to see that more and more people are coming to Azerbaijan from China for tourism purposes, and more and more Chinese companies want to work in Azerbaijan and invest in its economy,” Liu Haixing noted.

According to the Chinese official, the establishment of the China Centre at the Academy of Public Administration is an important manifestation of the expanding cooperation between the two countries.

Liu Haixing also highlighted growing interest among Azerbaijani youth in learning Chinese.

“The fact that more and more young people in Azerbaijan want to study the Chinese language also testifies to the growing interest in China and its development," the minister said.

By Jeyhun Aghazada