Official: China to boost Azerbaijan’s role as Eurasian transport hub in 2025

China will create favourable conditions for Azerbaijan’s transit traffic in 2025, which will help facilitate the transportation of larger volumes of materials from neighbouring regions to China via Azerbaijan.

This announcement was made by Ding Tao, China’s Charge d'Affaires in Azerbaijan, during a press conference on the outcomes of Azerbaijan-China relations in 2024, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“We are pleased to see that, relying on its unique geographical advantages, huge transit potential, and strong infrastructure, Azerbaijan is playing an increasingly important role in enhancing regional connectivity through the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Azerbaijan’s position as a crucial transport hub in Eurasia is becoming even stronger,” Ding Tao said. “According to statistics from countries along the route, the volume of cargo traffic increased by 68 per cent in the first 10 months of this year, reaching 3.8 million tonnes, which is a substantial year-on-year rise. The annual figure is expected to reach a record high.”

Ding Tao emphasized that China considers the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route a vital element in boosting regional connectivity, promoting economic development, and ensuring the stability of the global supply chain. In October of the previous year, Chinese President Xi Jinping outlined 8 key steps at the opening of the 3rd High-level Forum on International Cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative. The first step highlighted the importance of “intensifying the high-quality development of China-Europe container trains and joining the construction of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.” Azerbaijan was among the first countries to express its willingness to support the development of this initiative and is now actively participating in it.

“The initiatives proposed by China align closely with Azerbaijan’s own development strategy to enhance its transport potential based on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, and Baku has responded positively,” Ding Tao added.

This year, the pairing of the Belt and Road initiative with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route has accelerated, and China-Azerbaijan cooperation in transport and logistics has seen significant achievements.

On July 3, an Intergovernmental Memorandum on the Development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor for China-Europe Freight Trains was signed on the sidelines of a heads of state meeting in Astana. This agreement outlines important directions for enhancing cooperation in transport and logistics along the route.

Since the beginning of this year, cities in China such as Xi'an, Nanjing, Chongqing, Urumqi, Lianyungang, and Yiwu have launched China-Europe trans-Caspian freight trains, with more than one train running daily. The total number of such trains is expected to exceed 300 this year, nearly 31 times more than in the previous year. Countries along the Pacific coast, such as Japan and South Korea, have also begun utilizing these China-Europe trans-Caspian trains passing through Azerbaijan to transport cargo.

In July, Chinese vehicles arrived at Baku Port for the first time via direct road transport, and on November 24, a goods train carrying 62 containers was dispatched from Baku to China. This marked the first instance of two-way cargo transport between China and Azerbaijan as part of their trans-Caspian transport cooperation.

Additionally, the first branch of the Absheron Logistics Centre, Azerbaijan’s largest logistics company, was opened in Xi'an. Chinese companies are actively involved in the construction of multimodal transport systems along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route and have maintained close collaboration with Azerbaijan on initiatives such as the modernization of Baku Port and the construction of ships for the Caspian Sea, Ding Tao stated.

Reflecting on the recent remarks by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Ding Tao said, the Belt and Road joint construction has entered a new phase of high-quality development.

"China will continue to follow the eight steps to support high-quality collaboration in the Belt and Road initiative, focusing on interconnectivity, and expanding new opportunities for win-win development that are higher, more flexible, and more sustainable. China is ready to work with Azerbaijan to deepen the alignment of the Belt and Road initiative with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, in order to ensure the security and stability of the production and supply chain for the benefit of all the peoples along the route,” the official concluded.

By Tamilla Hasanova