WORLD TRADE EXPO AZERBAIJAN

Unique geographical location

Azerbaijan is located at the junction of Europe and Asia, with unique transportation capabilities. A 4-hour flight circle can cover nearly half of the global consumers in 50 countries and regions, and with the help of land and sea routes entering the European market through Azerbaijan, Chinese companies can significantly shorten transportation time. Yousuf Abdullayev pointed out that foreign products can use this to enter the European market, as well as untapped markets such as Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The railway connecting Baku (the capital of Azerbaijan) and Tbilisi (the capital of Georgia) and extending to Kars (a city in Türkiye) has started operation in 2018. This railway further extends to southern Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye. The transportation cycle of railways is suitable, and the transportation capacity will continue to improve. Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Economy, Rufat Mamadov, hopes that this railway can develop into a major trade route connecting China and Europe. In order to fully utilize the country’s transit transportation potential and facilitate access to foreign markets, Azerbaijan will continue to invest in local and regional infrastructure.

Agreement on Guarding and Escorting

The relationship between China and Azerbaijan has not only changed with the proposal of the “the Belt and Road” in recent years. As early as 1992, China established friendly diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan.
Bilateral agreements: Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Azerbaijan have successively signed agreements such as the “Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Encouraging and Mutual Protecting Investments”, the “Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Economic and Trade Cooperation”, the “Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Avoiding Double Taxation and Preventing Fiscal Evasion on Income”, and the “Mutual Assistance Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Customs Affairs”.
The latest agreement was signed during the 2nd China International Import Expo: On November 7, 2019, Wu Zhengping, Director of the Foreign Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of China, and Yusuf Abdullayev, Acting Chairman of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Association, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Foreign Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China and the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Association during the 2nd China International Import Expo. Both sides will carry out close cooperation in areas such as resource sharing, enterprise exchanges, hosting exhibitions, and economic and trade activities.

Preliminary achievements in Sino Arab trade

According to statistics from Afghanistan, the trade volume between China and Afghanistan reached 3.4 billion US dollars from January to November 2024. China became the largest source of imports for Afghanistan for the first time, accounting for 17.7% of its total imports and ranking as its fourth largest trading partner.

Azerbaijan, located at the junction of the Eurasian continent, has a stable political situation and relies on energy for its rapid economic development. The Afghan government focuses on economic structural adjustment and emphasizes the development of non oil and gas economy in the economy. Azerbaijan is an important cooperative country along the “the Belt and Road”. The “the Belt and Road” initiative will strongly promote China Arab cooperation in transportation facilities, trade, agriculture, tourism and other fields, and help China expand its influence and strategic security space in Central Asia. Azerbaijan’s market, business environment, underdeveloped infrastructure in non oil and gas sectors, as well as the security situation in the Transcaucasian region and the game of major powers in the region, will all become challenges for future pragmatic cooperation between China and Azerbaijan.