Seat of power SCO summit and Ilham Aliyev’s visit to China

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is in China on a working visit to take part in two major events. The first is the SCO Plus summit held in Tianjin, and the second is the celebrations and military parade on September 3 marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over foreign military intervention and fascism.

On August 31, Ilham Aliyev held a series of important meetings with representatives of China’s business community, including Acting President and Chairman of China Energy Engineering Corporation Limited (Energy China) Ni Zhen, Founder and Chairman of Sichuan Sunsync Photovoltaic Technology Co. Xie Yi, General Manager of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) Zhu Peng, and Chairman of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Song Hailiang.

During these meetings, the President and his counterparts discussed opportunities for joint projects in Azerbaijan in the fields of alternative and renewable energy, optimisation of water resource management operations, modernisation of the national management system and governance capacities through digital technologies, development of the digital economy, ensuring national network and cyber security and the use of data applications, the second phase of construction of the Baku International Sea Port, improvement of transport infrastructure including the construction of metro stations, equipment production and the comprehensive development of urban transport, as well as other projects.

On August 31, President Ilham Aliyev also met with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. Both leaders warmly recalled President Aliyev’s state visit to China in April 2025 and stressed the significance of the signed document on comprehensive strategic partnership. Among other issues, the heads of state mentioned the mutual growth of trade, underlined the importance of the Middle Corridor within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, and noted with satisfaction that the countries have always supported each other within international organisations. The talks also featured a broad exchange of views on the prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and China.

On September 1, President Aliyev held meetings with Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Particular attention was drawn to the meeting on the sidelines of the summit between Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The leaders discussed the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agenda, emphasising the importance of constructive dialogue, mutual trust, and regional stability. Aliyev and Pashinyan noted the positive dynamics achieved during the recent Washington summit, which confirmed international support for advancing peace and the normalisation process. The sides agreed to maintain further contacts. Thus, this meeting served as a strong consolidation of the positive trend established at the historic meeting in Washington on August 8 this year.

President Aliyev also delivered a speech at the SCO Plus meeting. The President of Azerbaijan highlighted a number of important points concerning both Azerbaijan–China relations and, more broadly, China’s role as the driving force of vast economic processes across Eurasia. Such emphasis on the Chinese factor, therefore, also underscored the decisive role of this country within the SCO, which indeed reflects the reality on the ground.

In the context of the Trans-Caspian Corridor, Ilham Aliyev placed special emphasis on the importance of its key component, the Zangezur Corridor. “Recent agreements connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are expected to further expand transit capabilities for international transportation. I am confident that the Zangezur Corridor will soon become another important segment of the Middle Corridor, as well as the North-South Corridor, which will contribute to enhancing peace, multilateral partnership and benefit all of Azerbaijan's close and distant neighbours to the east, west, north and south of our borders,” Aliyev stated.

Overall, it can be concluded that President Aliyev’s current visit to China serves the comprehensive and consistent strengthening of strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan and China, both within the framework of the SCO and in bilateral relations.