1. What is your vision for further deepening cooperation between Azerbaijan and China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? What projects will the two countries carry out through cooperation?
Answer: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of jointly building the Belt and Road. Since it was introduced, the BRI has received extensive participation from the international community, Azerbaijan included. It has become a well-received international public good and a cooperation platform for global sustainable development. Under this framework, China and Azerbaijan show respect to each other and meet halfway to cooperate in various fields with fruitful outcomes. Particularly in recent years, the proposal of jointly building the Belt and Road with high quality has been profoundly linked with the “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development” strategy under the leadership of the heads of the two states. At present, the results of cooperation in fields such as logistics and transportation, green development, processing and manufacturing, and digital transformation have been remarkable, and the level of pragmatic cooperation between the two sides has constantly improved.
At present, the relationship between China and Azerbaijan has entered a new stage of development. China is willing to cooperate with Azerbaijan to deepen strategic mutual trust, strengthen coordination in policy, and make good use of various cooperation mechanisms, such as the China-Azerbaijan Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation; we will push forward economic and trade cooperation to improve trade facilitation and liberalization, promote investment cooperation on the principles of joint consultation, joint construction, and sharing of the benefits, and support enterprises of both sides to explore the potential of cooperation in fields such as new-energy power generation, energy storage, digital economy, manufacturing, and agriculture. In addition, we will accelerate connectivity to promote the upgrading of infrastructure and services along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, increase the freight volume of China–Europe freight trains, and smooth regional and international supply chains. We will also strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges to encourage the connection and liaison between the business, academic, and civil communities of both sides, thus laying a social foundation that is more cohesive and diverse, for deepening bilateral cooperation.
Looking to the future, we believe that both China and Azerbaijan can seize the historical opportunity to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and will achieve more tangible outcomes by jointly building the Belt and Road to make new contributions to the prosperity and stability of both countries and the well-being of the people.
2. What measures will China take to promote the trade between Azerbaijan and China? Does China have plans to address some potential obstacles and simplify trade procedures to encourage the exchange of more goods and services?
Answer: Bilateral trade, which is considered an important part of the pragmatic cooperation between China and Azerbaijan, has exhibited a stable and positive momentum of growth in recent years. According to statistics in Azerbaijan, the volume of bilateral trade between China and Azerbaijan registered 1.62 billion U.S. dollars between January and July 2023, a year-over-year growth of 41.1%, making China the fourth largest trade partner and the second largest exporter to Azerbaijan. Currently, mechanical equipment, electronics, automobiles, and other products created via advanced manufacturing constitute the major items China exports to Azerbaijan, accounting for more than 50% of total exports. This has exerted a positive impact upon Azerbaijan’s economic and social development and improved the lives of its people. Meanwhile, China has invited Azerbaijan to publicize and introduce its high-quality and characteristic products by making full use of such platforms as the China International Import Expo and the China International Fair for Trade in Services. We support Azerbaijan to set up trade centers in various places in China to promote its brands and sell products, due to which Azerbaijan’s wine, pomegranate juice, black tea, and other products have become increasingly popular in China. The two sides are communicating closely with each other over the access of other categories of goods to China.
Next, China will render necessary support to promote the “made in Azerbaijan” brands in China as before and is willing to cooperate with Azerbaijan to discuss new fundamental and institutional measures to expand the scale of bilateral trade and improve the level of trade liberalization and facilitation. As the largest consumer market in the world, China welcomes Azerbaijan’s enterprises to bring more products into the lives of Chinese consumers by means of exhibition, cross-border e-commerce, et cetera.
3. How interested are Chinese enterprises in participating in the reconstruction of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan?
Answer: Chinese enterprises pay close attention to the reconstruction progress of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. A number of enterprises visited the lands and implemented projects such as “smart villages” and the supply of airport detection equipment. They now play an active role in promoting the investment and construction of solar photovoltaic power plants so as to facilitate the development of a local green economy. Chinese enterprises have noted the measures that were adopted by the Azerbaijan government to attract investment, aiming to drive infrastructure construction and improve the investment climate and business environment within the liberated areas. They are ready to explore specific cooperation projects with friends from Azerbaijan in fields such as renewable energy, infrastructure construction, production of building materials, and info-communications.
4. The Middle Corridor is designed to serve as an efficient and economical freight route between China and Europe. To further improve the connectivity of the corridor and shorten transportation time, what contributions will China make to the infrastructure construction along the corridor?
Answer: China pays close attention to the geographical advantage of the Middle Corridor that connects Europe and Asia and thinks highly of its significance in reinforcing regional connectivity, advancing regional economic development, and safeguarding the stability of the global supply and industrial chains. The proposal of jointly building the Belt and Road is highly consistent with the idea of the Middle Corridor. China and the countries along the route, including Azerbaijan, share the same interests in the field of transportation.
China is willing to further deepen its cooperation with Azerbaijan in transportation under the framework of jointly building the Belt and Road, promoting exchanges between relevant departments and enterprises of the two sides for industrial reasons, and negotiating and discussing issues concerning the improvement of customs clearance and trans-shipment efficiency, simplification and unification of transit transport procedures, informatization of logistics and transportation, reduction of freight costs, and improvement of the stability of the operation of China–Europe freight trains. China will also encourage capable Chinese enterprises to participate in the investment, construction, operation, and management of transportation infrastructure projects along the route to promote sustainable development of regional transportation by sharing China’s development experience and giving full play to the complementary advantages of both sides.
5. As green energy becomes more important, Azerbaijan has carried out many large-scale projects in this field. What are the prospects for the cooperation between Azerbaijan and China in renewable energy?
Answer: China pays close attention to the progress of Azerbaijan’s green reform and highly appreciates the efforts the country has made. China is one of the first countries to participate in Azerbaijan’s green energy projects. Of the country’s first large-scale new-energy projects, the 230 MW photovoltaic power plant and the 240 MW wind power plant are being constructed by Chinese enterprises as the general contractors. Particularly, after only six months of construction at this photovoltaic power plant, 5.5 square kilometers of wasteland was turned into a treasure trove. This plant is expected to generate power after its connection to the grid in the near future. It will then play a positive role in transforming Azerbaijan’s energy structure. Meanwhile, a number of Chinese companies have been engaging in investment projects for green energy, which will not only bring direct investment and advanced technology to Azerbaijan but will also boost employment opportunities and the development of related industries. In addition, we are also pleased to see that more and more brands of Chinese automobiles, especially new-energy automobiles, have been entering the Azerbaijan market and are popular among local people.
In the future, China will continue to explore the potential of cooperation in green energy and electricity in collaboration with Azerbaijan and will cooperate closely with the country to develop green energy, energy storage and peak regulation, power transmission and transformation, energy conservation and emission reduction, and the popularization of new-energy automobiles and the construction of related supporting facilities, so as to promote the implementation of more projects and provide new momentum for jointly building the green Belt and Road.