Beijing, April 23, AZERTAC

The “Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China” was signed in Beijing on April 23 during the state visit of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to China.

AZERTAC presents the statement:

Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China

Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, paid a state visit to the People’s Republic of China at the invitation of Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, from April 22 to 24, 2025.

Welcoming the achievements in the development of Azerbaijan-China relations over the 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two heads of state engaged in discussions in a sincere and friendly atmosphere. Reaffirming their view of each other as a priority, reliable, and mutually beneficial strategic partner, expressing readiness to continuously strengthen mutual political trust and support and enhance comprehensive cooperation for the benefit of both nations, the parties unanimously decided to establish comprehensive strategic partnership relations.

1. The Parties firmly support each other in pursuing development paths chosen by their respective peoples and in accordance with their national conditions, and provide resolute support to each other in safeguarding fundamental interests, sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. The Azerbaijani side recognizes that there is only one China in the world, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. Azerbaijan firmly opposes any form of “Taiwan independence” and supports the Chinese government in realizing the reunification of the country.

China, in turn, firmly supports Azerbaijan’s peace agenda and considers confrontation-driven geopolitical games to be counterproductive.

2. The Parties declared that they would be guided by the diplomacy of the heads of state as strategic guidelines and key high-level agreements, and would promote the sustainable and long-term development of bilateral relations.

The Parties support the strengthening of the political dialogue between the Communist Party of China and the New Azerbaijan Party. Both sides confirmed their readiness to enhance intergovernmental relations through regular mechanisms to advance practical cooperation. The Parties support contacts and exchanges between legislative bodies, including coordination within international and regional organizations, and are committed to holding regular consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

3. The Parties agreed to enhance the alignment of the Belt and Road Initiative with Azerbaijan’s national development strategies - the 'Revival of the Silk Road' and the 2030 Socio-Economic Development Strategy - in order to jointly promote modernization and open new avenues for high-quality, resilient, and sustainable development.

4. The Parties expressed their readiness to continue strengthening the coordinating and guiding role of the mechanism of Intergovernmental Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation. A decision was made to establish a Working Group on investment cooperation in order to enhance engagement in the fields of trade, investment, green energy, and the digital economy, thereby contributing to the high-quality development of bilateral economic and trade relations.

The Parties intend to gradually expand reciprocal access to markets for eco-friendly and high-quality agricultural products by jointly creating favorable conditions for the development of trade and the economies of the two countries.

The Parties expressed their readiness to initiate negotiations on a free trade agreement aiming to establish robust institutional guarantees for deepening cooperation in the fields of trade and investment.

China welcomes Azerbaijan’s active participation in major exhibition events held in China, including the China International Import Expo (CIIE), China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), and the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), and supports the holding of thematic presentations and the establishment of contacts through trade centers and national pavilions opened by the Azerbaijani side in China, as well as through Chinese e-commerce networks. Azerbaijan welcomes the participation of leading Chinese companies in major exhibitions and forums held in Azerbaijan.

5. The Parties express their readiness to continuously deepen cooperation in the industrial sector and actively promote the digital transformation of industry. The Parties support enterprises of both countries in strengthening, deepening, and expanding commercially based cooperation in areas such as petrochemicals, metallurgy, the textile industry, pharmaceuticals, and machine-building equipment.

6. The Parties express their readiness to actively pursuing cooperation in renewable energy sources and jointly advancing the creation of a global clean energy partnership by promoting the energy transition and sustainable socio-economic development of both countries.

7. The Parties highly value the cooperation between the two countries in the field of transportation and, while promoting regional connectivity, express their readiness to continue supporting the development of transport infrastructure and the improvement of logistics and transportation efficiency.

The Parties highly appreciated the signing of the Agreement on International Multimodal Transportation between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the People's Republic of China. China is ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan and other countries along the route to continuously improve customs clearance convenience and cargo transportation efficiency, thereby jointly establishing safe, stable, and direct China-Europe-China Trans-Caspian express routes. Both sides are interested in accelerating the negotiation and conclusion of an intergovernmental agreement on international road transportation, improving favorable conditions for road transport between Azerbaijan and China, while laying the foundation for bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The Parties note that the Global Sustainable Transport Forum organized by China is of significant importance for deepening bilateral cooperation in the field of sustainable transport.

8. The Parties will encourage scientific research institutions and scientists to collaborate on topics of mutual interest, promote technology transfer and the commercialization of the achieved results, and establish joint scientific research platforms.

9. The Parties agreed to continue mutual student exchanges through various channels, support the development of Confucius Institutes in Azerbaijan, promote the teaching of the Azerbaijani and Chinese languages in educational institutions, and establish partnerships at various levels between educational institutions of the two countries.

The Parties will promote cooperation through cultural and artistic groups and support the organization of reciprocal Days of Culture with the aim of deepening mutual understanding between peoples and encouraging inter-civilizational exchange.

The Parties are ready to enhance coordination of tourism policies, create opportunities for organizing tourism promotion events in each other's territories, support professional contacts between tourism enterprises, industry associations, and other institutions, and work jointly to increase bilateral tourist flows and mutual visits of citizens.

The Parties will expand cooperation in healthcare, sports, cinematography, and television and increase friendly relations among youth and academic circles.

The Parties support the enhancement of media cooperation through mutual visits, information sharing and exchange of experience.

The Parties affirmed their readiness to facilitate greater people-to-people exchanges and welcome the conclusion and signing of the intergovernmental Agreement on mutual exemption of visas for holders of ordinary passports, which will serve as an impetus for enhancing contacts and cooperation across all fields.

The Parties support the established partnership between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as the expansion of relations between the Nizami Ganjavi International Center and relevant Chinese associations and institutions.

10. The Parties emphasized that terrorism, separatism, and extremism pose significant threats to national security and regional stability, and stressed the importance of preventing and jointly combating these threats. They noted the need to strengthen ties and exchanges between the law enforcement agencies and security services of the two countries to jointly combat drug-related crimes, transnational organized crime, as well as challenges such as cybersecurity. The Parties are committed to jointly ensuring the safety of personnel working on cooperation projects and enterprises of the two countries.

The Parties emphasize the importance of strengthening international cooperation in the field of humanitarian demining. In this regard, the Azerbaijani side highly values the Chinese side's support for Azerbaijan's demining efforts, while the Chinese side is ready to continue assisting Azerbaijan in enhancing its demining capacity through material and technical support.

11.China congratulates Azerbaijan on the successful hosting of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Both sides hailed the outcome of COP29 as a historic milestone and a turning point that will make a significant contribution to global climate action.

The Parties called on all countries to support the global climate governance process and to fully and conscientiously fulfill their commitments and responsibilities in accordance with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. The Parties call on developed countries to honor their historical commitments, provide financial, technological and intellectual support to developing countries, and help developing countries enhance their capacity to combat climate change. The Parties will continue to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation to combat climate change, making a significant contribution to global climate governance.

The Chinese side highly appreciates the "Multisectoral Actions Pathways to Resilient and Healthy Cities" initiative put forward by Azerbaijan’s COP29 Presidency.

In light of Baku hosting the 13th World Urban Forum in 2026, the Chinese side expressed its support for Azerbaijan and confirmed its readiness ti engage in close and effective cooperation.

12. China supports Azerbaijan's early accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The Parties support the reform of the international financial architecture to better align with changes in the global economic landscape. The Parties advocate for the liberalization and simplification of trade and investment, oppose unilateralism and protectionism, despotism and dismantling of world trade rules, and are committed to jointly defending the multilateral trading system to ensure prosperity for all.

13. The Parties are committed to upholding the UN-centered world order and the international system based on international law and the fundamental norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and oppose hegemony and power politics. The Parties advocate for the promotion of universal values - peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom - and strive to create a new type of international relations and a community of common destiny for mankind.

14. The Parties are prepared to promote the improvement of the global governance system, upholding the principles of joint consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, while reaffirming their commitment to multilateralism. The Parties advocate for strengthening the central coordinating role of the UN, increasing the representation and voting rights of emerging market economies and developing countries, and are ready to continue close interaction within the UN and other multilateral structures.

15. Azerbaijan actively supports China’s Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative and states its readiness to join the "Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative" to combine efforts to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Azerbaijan is ready to establish contacts and interaction with the Chinese side on global security and to make joint efforts towards peace and security. The Azerbaijani side highly appreciates China's resolution to establish the "International Day of Dialogue among Civilizations" put forward at the UN and stands ready to jointly uphold respect for the diversity of civilizations and actively promote humanitarian exchange and cooperation. China supports Azerbaijan’s efforts within the framework of the initiative known as the “Baku Process,” which serves as a global platform for promoting intercultural dialogue, and expresses its support for the global forums convened under this initiative.

16. Azerbaijan supports China's presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and highly appreciates the practical efforts made by the Chinese side for the qualitative development of the SCO. Azerbaijan states its readiness to actively participate in the "SCO Year of Sustainable Development" events and to deepen comprehensive cooperation with the member countries of the Organization. China supports the elevation of Azerbaijan's legal status in the SCO.

17. China supports Azerbaijan's chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and highly appreciates the efforts of the Azerbaijani side to hold a series of events under the theme "Stronger CICA, Connectivity, Digitalization and Sustainable Growth in Asia" aimed at advancing the development of CICA.

18. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan thanked the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping for the hospitality and warm reception extended to the Azerbaijani delegation and, in turn, invited President Xi Jinping to visit Azerbaijan at a time convenient for both parties.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan                                                       President of the People's Republic of China

Beijing, 23 April 2025