Azerbaijan and China Sign Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Declaration

Within the framework of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to China, a series of agreements were signed between the two countries, including a declaration on the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership and mutual visa exemption.

According to a statement from the Azerbaijani Presidency, during his official visit to China, Aliyev met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Following the meeting, Aliyev and Xi signed the “Joint Declaration on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China.”

The declaration stated that both parties would support each other in safeguarding their fundamental interests, sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. It emphasized Azerbaijan's support for the "One China" policy and strong opposition to Taiwan's independence, while China expressed strong support for the peace agenda proposed by Azerbaijan (with Armenia).

According to the declaration, the parties agreed to strengthen the alignment of China’s “Belt and Road” initiative with Azerbaijan’s “Revival of the Silk Road” state development strategy and the 2030 Socio-Economic Development Strategy, to promote joint modernization, and to create a new field of joint development characterized by a higher level, strong resilience, and long-term stability.

To enhance interaction in the fields of trade, investment, green energy, and digital economy, and to contribute to high-quality development of bilateral cooperation in trade and economy, the two sides agreed to establish a “Working Group on Investment Cooperation.”
They also declared their intention to gradually expand mutual market access for environmentally friendly and high-quality agricultural products by jointly creating favorable conditions for the development of trade and economy between the two countries.

The parties stated in the declaration that they are ready to start negotiations on a free trade agreement to provide high-level institutional guarantees for deepening cooperation in trade and investment.

They expressed readiness to continuously deepen cooperation in the industrial sector and to actively promote the digital transformation of the industry. The declaration also noted support for strengthening, deepening, and expanding commercial cooperation between enterprises of the two countries in fields such as petrochemicals, metallurgy, textile industry, pharmaceuticals, and mechanical engineering equipment.

The sides expressed their readiness to actively develop cooperation in the field of renewable energy and to jointly advance the formation of a global partnership in clean energy, which supports the energy transition and sustainable socio-economic development of both countries.

The declaration stated that China is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan and other countries along the route on China-Europe-China express corridors crossing the Caspian Sea. It also emphasized both parties’ interest in improving the level of favorable conditions for automobile transportation between Azerbaijan and China and laying the groundwork for bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

Mutual Visa Exemption Introduced Between China and Azerbaijan
As part of Aliyev’s visit, a series of agreements were signed between Azerbaijan and China.
At the ceremony attended by Chinese President Xi, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed the “Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the People's Republic of China on Mutual Visa Exemption for Passport Holders.”

Additionally, ministers and officials from both countries signed agreements in the fields of mine clearance, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, technical and economic cooperation, cooperation in science and technology, judiciary, culture, copyright, transportation, trade, media, and information.

Nakhchivan and Urumqi Become Sister Cities
During the ceremony, a letter of intent was signed declaring the city of Nakhchivan in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan and the city of Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China as sister cities.