Ilham Aliyev was interviewed by China’s Xinhua News Agency

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave an exclusive interview to China’s Xinhua News Agency.

- Dear Mr. President, we remember you and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping signing the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership at the 24th SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Summit in Astana last July. In that document, you jointly declared the establishment of strategic partnership based on the principles of mutual respect, equal trust, mutual support and cooperation. This is an important milestone in the history of relations between the two countries. In your opinion, what important results have been achieved in the development of relations between China and Azerbaijan and how would you evaluate them?

- You are right. “The Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China” was adopted within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Astana on July 3, 2024. The Declaration emphasizes that, since the establishment of diplomatic relations on April 2, 1992, our bilateral cooperation has brought about many fruitful results. At the same time, we agreed to further expand this cooperation, strengthen our interaction in international affairs, jointly safeguard the common interests of the two countries, and jointly advance the cause of regional and global peace, stability and development.

We jointly declared that our strategic partnership would rest on such fundamental principles of bilateral relations as mutual respect, equality, trust, mutual support, mutual benefit and cooperation. In the Declaration, we also reaffirmed that we are priority and reliable partners who treat each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity with due respect, pursuing an independent foreign policy based on the principles of non-interference in internal affairs and peaceful coexistence.

I do believe that our meeting in Astana and the joint declaration adopted as a result are a historic event that ushers in a new page in Azerbaijani-Chinese relations. Speaking at the bilateral meeting with President of China Xi Jinping, I noted that the adopted Declaration officially turns China and Azerbaijan into strategic partners, which is a great achievement and also a great responsibility. During our meeting in Astana, I was invited to pay a state visit to China, and I was pleased to accept the invitation. I also invited the President of China to visit our country at a convenient time. I am convinced that such an exchange of high-level visits will give additional impetus to the process of deepening our interstate relations.

We attach particular importance to the development of cooperation between our countries in all areas of mutual interest and view the deepening of bilateral relations as one of the important directions of Azerbaijan's foreign policy. We can say with confidence today that our relations have gained a very positive momentum. High-ranking members of the government and parliament, heads of ministries and departments, the Prosecutor General's Office, as well as officials from the Presidential Administration and the central office of the New Azerbaijan Party, visited China in 2024.

Last year, the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Chairman of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries visited Azerbaijan. The participation of the Vice Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China in the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP29, was a landmark event. The conference was attended by representatives from 196 countries, over 150 international organizations and UN agencies, as well as nearly 2,000 NGOs. The key decisions made at COP29 have been the provision of climate financing to developing countries, the introduction of the Loss and Damage Fund, and the full implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

As part of its presidency of COP29, Azerbaijan proposed 14 global initiatives addressing the links between climate action and sustainable development goals, which have already received broad international support. The agreements reached, the initiatives supported and the decisions made are of exceptional importance for the future of humanity and the global climate agenda.

Despite the large-scale and unfounded campaign of pressure and boycott against Azerbaijan, led by certain Western circles, in relation to such an important event for the global community, we once again demonstrated strong political will and professionalism. This enabled us to host the Conference at a high level, achieve historic results, and make a real breakthrough in multilateral negotiations. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I would like to express my gratitude to the Chinese delegation for its active participation and valuable contribution to global efforts to combat climate change.

- According to the State Statistics Committee of Azerbaijan, China accounted for 7.9 percent of Azerbaijan's total foreign trade in 2024. China is your country's fourth largest trading partner and has become the main source of imports for the first time. On November 24, the first Azerbaijani train with export goods left Baku for China. Trading houses of Azerbaijan are emerging in Chinese cities, Azerbaijani carpets, pomegranate juice and other high-quality products are reaching thousands of Chinese families. What is your view about the role of the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road in promoting this cooperation between the two countries?

- I would like to draw your attention to another important agreement reached during my meeting with the President of the People's Republic of China in Astana. We are talking about further expanding trade and economic ties between our countries and filling them with new high-quality content.

In 2024, the volume of trade between Azerbaijan and China increased by 20.7 percent compared to the previous year, totaling 3.744 billion US dollars. Indeed, China has become the fourth largest trading partner for Azerbaijan and its share in the country's foreign trade has reached 7.9 percent. It is also the leader in imports, with its share amounting to 17.69 percent.

Despite the progressive trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, there is still a huge untapped potential. I do believe that the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the two countries is an important mechanism for deepening bilateral economic ties, identifying promising areas of cooperation and consolidating them further in the legal plane. Timely implementation of the Commission's decisions will be key to the success of our efforts. Ahead of my visit to China, the 10th meeting of the Commission is due to be held in Baku.

The Azerbaijani trading and wine houses you mentioned are already operating in such cities of China as Beijing, Shanghai, Urumqi, Qingdao, Chengdu, Nanjing and Zhangjiajie. They are making a significant contribution to the development of our bilateral trade relations. Azerbaijan’s trading house has also been created on the well-known international online trading platform “JD” in China.

To date, a total of 375 companies with Chinese capital are registered in Azerbaijan, of which 298 operate quite actively in the country.

Currently, negotiations are underway between Azerbaijan and China on the prospects for joint cooperation in the non-oil sector, in particular, in attracting direct investment in hi-tech and innovation, alternative and renewable energy.

As you may know, Azerbaijan was one of the first countries to support the Belt and Road initiative put forward by the President of the People’s Republic of China. We are implementing serious projects in this direction. It is safe to say that Azerbaijan is the second country after China to have invested the most in this project both on its own territory and abroad. Speaking at the second Belt and Road Forum held in China in April 2019, I noted that this project not only provides transport links, but also strengthens the relations between different countries, serves to bolster dialogue and cooperation, and creates new opportunities for international trade.

We are expanding our cooperation with China within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative. Significant progress has already been made in this direction. Leveraging its advantageous geographical location, Azerbaijan continues to extensively develop international transport corridors, create modern infrastructure and invest additional funds in increasing their capacity in response to the sharp increase in cargo traffic through our territory.

Over the past 20 years, 21,000 kilometers of highways have been built and renovated, 335 bridges and overpasses, 45 tunnels, 163 overland and underground crossings have been built in Azerbaijan. Considerable progress has also been made in improving railway infrastructure including the construction of over 1,500 kilometers of new railways and the renovation of 1,800 kilometers of existing tracks.

Such important transport projects as the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the International North-South Transport Corridor and the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), as well as the Baku International Trade Seaport, one of the major ports on the Caspian Sea, are opening up new horizons for the implementation of economic and transport opportunities within the framework of the Belt and Road initiative.

I would also like to highlight that the Middle Corridor is a reliable and safe route connecting Europe with Central Asia and China via the Caspian Sea. It is also the most competitive route for delivering goods between China and Europe, and its importance is growing rapidly.

The volume of transit traffic between Azerbaijan and China in 2024 amounted to 378,000 tons, which is 86 percent more than in 2023. In 2024, 287 block trains were dispatched from China to Azerbaijan along the Middle Corridor in import and transit modes.

- China and Azerbaijan are the centers of civilizations on the ancient Silk Road. Humanitarian exchanges between the two countries have flourished in recent years, especially in the fields of language education and tourism. Beijing Foreign Studies University has launched a program to study the Azerbaijani language. More and more Azerbaijani students are showing interest in the Chinese language. According to Azerbaijani sources, the number of Chinese tourists who visited Azerbaijan last year doubled compared to the previous year. What do you expect from this trend?

- You have touched upon important areas of cooperation both countries attach particular importance to. The Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership points to the sustainable development of cooperation in the field of education as part of the existing legal framework between the two countries. At the same time, we have been paying special attention to cooperation in the field of language learning and teaching.

The number of citizens from both our countries who have had the opportunity to study various disciplines at higher education institutions of Azerbaijan and China at bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels has been steadily growing year by year. A number of higher education institutions in Azerbaijan that are partners of the Confucius Institute provide teaching of Chinese. It is also encouraging to note that centers dedicated to the study of Azerbaijani language and culture have been established in China in recent years. A corresponding department has been established. There is fruitful cooperation between the universities of the two countries, the necessary legal framework is being put in place.

I am confident that state support for the teaching of the Chinese and Azerbaijani languages in educational institutions, exchanges between teachers and training of specialists will contribute to the effective interaction between states in various fields, bring the two countries even closer together and serve the cultural enrichment of the two peoples.

Last year, Azerbaijan unilaterally introduced a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens in order to develop tourism and facilitate business activity. Facilitating mutual visa-free travel for citizens of our countries will help increase tourist flows and, thus, further expand economic, humanitarian and cultural ties.

- In 2016, Azerbaijan became an SCO dialogue partner country and is an important member of the SCO family. It was during the SCO Astana Summit that the two countries established a strategic partnership. China, as the SCO chair in 2024-2025, will host the 25th meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council in 2025. What are your expectations from this summit?

- I believe that China's chairmanship under the slogan of “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO in Action” will contribute to the further institutionalization and strengthening of its role in the international arena. China is one of the founding countries of the SCO and continues to be one of the leading forces in developing the organization. I am confident that the efforts undertaken by China within the framework of its extensive chairmanship program will give additional impetus to strengthening multilateral cooperation based on the SCO principles, as well as the implementation of its tasks.

Last year, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, I took part in the SCO summit. Currently, Azerbaijan has the status of a dialogue partner of the SCO. Azerbaijan's cooperation with the SCO covers a broad range of areas such as the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism, regional security and stability. The focus is also on issues such as inter-civilizational dialogue, multiculturalism and promotion of tolerance. As is known, our country plays an active role in these areas in the international arena.

We attach great importance to the activities of the SCO and share the principles underlying this organization. As a reliable partner and an important state in the region, Azerbaijan continues to contribute to maintaining international and regional peace and security, implements large-scale trade, economic, transport, infrastructure and energy projects aimed at expanding trade, commercial and investment ties, thus contributing to global economic growth and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

I am also confident that close bilateral cooperation between our countries will contribute most fruitfully to the deepening of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the SCO and the enhancement of its status in this organization.

- China and Azerbaijan are important members of the “Global South”, maintaining close cooperation on multilateral platforms and effectively defending international justice. How would you assess the impact of the growing role of the “Global South” on global governance? And how would you evaluate the concept of a community of common destiny put forward by China?

- Last year in Astana, President of China Xi Jinping and I declared our desire to promote the creation of a community of common destiny for mankind. We advocate the promotion of such common values of mankind as peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom, while opposing hegemony and power politics. We have expressed our readiness to jointly support the international system under the auspices of the UN, its role in international affairs, adhere to genuine multilateralism, as well as an international order based on international law and the goals and principles of the UN Charter.

I have already mentioned that, being part of the Global South, we have always defended its interests. In 2019-2023, Azerbaijan chaired the Non-Aligned Movement, the second largest international organization after the UN. This organization accounts for 80 percent of the planet’s population, approximately 50 percent of global GDP, and about half of total international trade volume. The participation of the Global South in building a more sustainable, fair and secure world order is a natural process.

- Almost six years have passed since your visit to China in April 2019. Can you share your impressions of your previous visits to China? What are your expectations for your upcoming visit to China?

- China is one of the world’s fastest growing countries. China's achievements and successes in all areas under the resolute and wise leadership of President Xi Jinping have elevated it to the ranks of the most powerful and advanced countries in the world, further strengthening its standing in the international arena. Under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, China has made significant progress. China’s development meets the interests not only of the Chinese people but also the entire world.

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, I paid a working visit to China in 2014 and a state visit to the People’s Republic of China in 2015. In 2019, at the invitation of the President of China, I participated in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing.

I have warm memories of our meetings and fruitful discussions with President Xi Jinping. I am glad that Azerbaijani-Chinese relations, based on ancient history and good traditions, are developing in an upward direction and our strategic partnership is enriched with new positive content. Our active dialogue, mutual respect and trust, developed on the basis of personal meetings, telephone conversations and exchanges of letters, are playing a valuable role in deepening bilateral relations.

I can say with confidence that all previous visits to the People’s Republic of China had a very rich program and were accompanied by the signing of a number of important bilateral documents aimed at expanding the comprehensive Azerbaijani-Chinese cooperation in line with our mutual interests. I am convinced that the upcoming visit will also serve to deepen the strategic partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China.