Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev touched upon several important issues in an interview with China's CGTN (China Global Television Network).
In the interview, the head of state also spoke about Azerbaijan-China relations, Azerbaijan's diversified foreign policy, and the potential of the Middle Corridor.
The relations between Azerbaijan and China, which regard each other as strategic partners and prioritize their mutual interests, have been further developing in recent years, particularly in the economic and trade sectors.
President Ilham Aliyev drew attention to the strategic partnership between China and Azerbaijan in his interview: "Last year China and Azerbaijan officially became strategic partners. After the meeting between the President of China and myself last summer, a corresponding Declaration on Strategic Partnership was adopted. This is a very important political step in our bilateral relationship. Strategic partnership is a very high level of mutual trust and cooperation. We are looking forward to expanding our partnership with China, including in the issues related to our membership in different international organizations, not only the WTO."
Azerbaijan supports the "One China" policy
In an interview with APA, Member of the Parliament (Milli Majlis) and Doctor of Political Sciences Rizvan Nabiyev emphasized that relations between Azerbaijan and China are based on a solid political foundation and respect for universally accepted principles of international law: "Official Baku and Beijing share a common stance against the promotion of separatism and policies based on double standards on the global stage. The Republic of Azerbaijan supports the 'One China' policy and does not recognize Taiwan's independence. This means that the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of China. Similarly, the People's Republic of China supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This support was affirmed during National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s first official visit to Beijing in February 1994 and has been upheld in the following years. In 2024, China and Azerbaijan officially elevated their relations to the level of strategic partnership."
Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership
One of the key reasons for the close relations between the two countries is the mutual understanding and respectful dialogue between their leaders. President Ilham Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jinping have maintained a sincere dialogue for a long time. In July 2024, a meeting took place between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the meeting, the two leaders adopted the "Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China."
What does the Declaration contain?
This declaration aims to elevate relations between Azerbaijan and China to the level of strategic partnership while expanding mutual interests and areas of cooperation.
The adoption of the declaration is a significant achievement.
At the meeting, President Ilham Aliyev called the adoption of the Declaration a great achievement: "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."
Cooperation between the two countries has yielded effective results
Speaking at the meeting, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping emphasized that 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."
Kang Jie, Associate Research Fellow, Department for American Studies, China Institute of International Studies, Ph.d. in Political Science, stated in an interview with APA that China and Azerbaijan are good partners sharing high mutual trust: "Our countries are fellow travelers on the path to modernization, and a paradigm of civilizational communication. Currently, as profound global transformations accelerate, stability, harmony, prosperity, and connectivity have become universal aspirations among nations. The two countries have always respected each other's core interests and strengthened cooperation in various fields. Both China and Azerbaijan are actively exploring modernization paths suited to their historical contexts and national realities, rediscovering institutional legacies from their national traditions that promote social harmony and enhance governance efficiency, vigorously developing emerging pillar industries, opening new trade corridors, and embracing opportunities in green and digital transitions.The two countries developmental advantages demonstrate high complementarity, with each nation's progress serving as a crucial opportunity for the other. Looking back, exchanges of material culture, technology, and ideas between China and Azerbaijan boast a time-honored history, with examples of civilizational communication abounding. Looking ahead, the two countries will strengthen civilizational dialogue, deepen mutual understanding, and perpetuate traditional friendship among younger generations."
Azerbaijan’s diversified foreign policy
During the interview, President Ilham Aliyev touched upon Azerbaijan’s diversified foreign policy, emphasizing that official Baku has signed strategic partnership declarations with 10 members of the European Union: "We have alliance declarations signed with Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Russia. This diversified foreign policy trend is based not just on policies but on substance. On every track, we have practical results, we have programs of cooperation. Our foreign policy, as any other country, is just a continuation of a domestic policy. Contribution of Azerbaijan to regional stability and regional peace in a broader geography, rather than just Central Asia, the Caspian, and the South Caucasus - is something that is already being appreciated by global international actors."
MP Rizvan Nabiyev said that effective cooperation within international organizations indicates the positive dynamics of relations at the multilateral level: “The signing of a strategic partnership declaration with 10 members of the European Union creates opportunities for Azerbaijan, which supports multilateralism in international politics, to develop its foreign policy cooperation with China in a multilateral format. Notably, all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS, where China is a leading force, have strong and friendly relations with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a dialogue partner of the SCO. The country’s diversified foreign policy approach, as well as its experience in building stronger bridges between the Global South and the Global North within the framework of COP29, is highly valued.”
President Ilham Aliyev also spoke about the significance of the Middle Corridor in his interview.
"...Azerbaijan’s position on the Middle Corridor is not just to be a transit country and to get more fees from transit. Our target is to build facilities on the route in Azerbaijan and help the private sector take advantage of that.
...As I already said, it’s about a strategic partnership, but at the same time, the infrastructure for the Middle Corridor’s Azerbaijani segment was upgraded. At the moment, we see that the already upgraded infrastructure will not be enough in the coming 3-5 years."
Emphasizing that China appreciates Azerbaijan's advantageous geographical position, Rizvan Nabiyev noted that Azerbaijan holds a key geopolitical and transport-logistics advantage as a significant country in the Caucasus-Caspian region: “As part of the ancient Silk Road project, Azerbaijan contributes to the implementation of China's modern 'Belt and Road' initiative, announced in 2013, using its own resources. The Baku International Sea Trade Port and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway are crucial segments in this regard. The essence of the project, which starts in China and extends to Europe, is to ensure that goods exported from China reach Europe with time efficiency and favorable transit fees. Naturally, this not only enhances Azerbaijan’s role as a stable transit country in China-Europe trade relations but also opens up broader opportunities for international cooperation through such promising projects.”
The Middle Corridor is a strategic transportation route that facilitates trade and transport connections between Asia and Europe. This corridor spans the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus, and Türkiye, aiming to ensure the fast and secure transportation of goods. The Middle Corridor has emerged as a key transport route, particularly in connection with China’s “Belt and Road” initiative. In 2024, the total volume of cargo transported via the Middle Corridor amounted to 7,980.6 thousand tons. Of this, 45.2% was transported by rail, 31.7% by road, and 23.1% by sea. Transit cargo accounted for 60.2% of the total volume. With the increasing freight transportation through the Middle Corridor, there are plans to establish various manufacturing enterprises and logistics centers within Azerbaijan. Such developments contribute not only to Azerbaijan’s economy but also to the strategic significance of the Middle Corridor.
President Ilham Aliyev extensively discussed the potential of the Middle Corridor at the international conference titled “Along the Middle Corridor: Geopolitics, Security and Economy” held in 2022: "The advantage of our geographical location is that we are situated between Europe and Asia, in the middle, between the two continents, which allows us to play an important role in connectivity issues. But, of course, the physical availability of infrastructure was most important, and we have invested in that sector for many, many years. And now, when we look at our railroad connections and highway infrastructure, we see that everything in Azerbaijan is ready. Five years ago, we inaugurated the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad project with our partners. When we saw the growing cargo volume crossing our country, we started to invest in expanding the Georgian segment of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars. This project will cost us more than a hundred million U.S. dollars, and we plan to accomplish it within a year and maybe in a year and a half. At the same time, other transportation projects like the North-South corridor will add synergy to the East-West corridor. So, Azerbaijan is actually the participant in both corridors and most of the transportation and logistics infrastructure with respect to these corridors in Azerbaijan is ready."
The Middle Corridor will transform into an industrial chain
The Chinese political expert Kang Jie considers the Middle Corridor a key project in China-Azerbaijan cooperation: "The Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor is the flagship project of cooperation between China and Azerbaijan. Against the backdrop of uncertainties facing both the Northern Corridor and sea routes, the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus is increasingly becoming part of China’s long-term strategic layout, rather than just a short-term expedient. Since the beginning of 2024, more than 100 CR express trains have been launched across the Caspian Sea, an increase of more than 10 times year-on-year. In particular, since May, the CR express trains across the Caspian Sea have been running more than one train per day, achieving daily operation, showing a strong development trend. In 2023, there were only 11 container trains departing from China on the Trans-Caspian Corridor. By December 2024, there were more than 300. The future development goals for the corridor is aiming to increase cargo traffic to 600 container trains per year in both 2025 and 2026. The target rises to 1,000 trains in 2027 and 2,000 by 2029, reflecting the corridor’s growing role in global trade logistics."
Political scientist Kang Jie emphasized that in the future, the Middle Corridor will transcend its role as a transportation route, potentially evolving into an industrial belt and a community of shared development: “Countries along the corridor will deepen industrial chain cooperation centered on this vital artery.”
Trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China
Both China and Azerbaijan have taken various steps to further strengthen their trade relations within the framework of the Middle Corridor and other strategic projects. As a result, trade turnover between the two countries has significantly increased in recent years.
In January-October 2024, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and China exceeded $3 billion, marking a 17.14% increase compared to the same period in 2023. During this time, Azerbaijan's exports amounted to $1.5 billion, while imports also stood at $1.5 billion, resulting in a balanced trade relationship between the two countries. These figures highlight the strengthening of economic ties and the continuous development of mutual trade.
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