China-Azerbaijan: A strategic partnership of a superpower and regional leader
Editor's note: Elman Nasirov, a member of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis (Parliament). The article expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the view of News.Az.
“Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of China in the region. We contribute to the maintenance of international and regional peace and security, and implement large-scale economic, transport and energy projects,” said Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The People's Republic of China (PRC) is not only a great country, but also a great civilization.
The PRC has already become the world's second economic and political leader. And by 2030, the possibility of becoming the world's No. 1 economy is highly appreciated. This state has successfully implemented its 100-year strategic intention, and since 2021, it has managed to officially eliminate poverty and build a moderately prosperous society. In 2049, it will achieve its next 100-year goal and build a number one modern country with modern technology. These magnificent successes have been possible as a result of the implementation of consistent, systematic and logical state policies.
Since the 1970s, the People's Republic of China has launched a policy of deep economic reforms. The country's development began to be realized on the basis of Deng Xiaoping's well-known formula "hide your strength, wait for your opportunity." All processes in the country served the interests of ensuring sustainable economic growth. It is no coincidence that in the 1990s, stable economic growth in the PRC was 10%.
The economic crisis that occurred in the West in 2008-2009 led to the collapse of the US financial system and consigned the Washington consensus to the archives of history. For China, a moment of truth and a historic moment had arrived. In July 2009, then-President of the PRC, Hu Jintao, called for his country to maximize its power and influence in the international arena.
In the fall of 2013, the President of the PRC, Mr. Xi Jinping, put forward concrete projects that embody the idea of creating global land and maritime transport corridors in Eurasia: the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Later, these projects were combined and began to operate under the name “One Belt, One Road”. Currently, this global project is called the “Belt and Road Initiative”. The strategically important steps taken did not wait long for their result. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBS), in 2023 the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was equal to 126.06 trillion yuan (approximately 17.71 trillion dollars). China's share in the world economy is 18.5%. The average annual economic growth is 7.2%. China, the world's leading producer of wheat, reliably ensures the food security of its 1.4 billion people. China is also the world's leading producer of steel, coal, cement, chemical fertilizers, televisions, as well as cotton, vegetable oils, and fruit. It has established itself as the second largest producer of electricity, cotton-textile products, meat, and tea.
Photo: AZERTAC
With one-fifth of the world's population and one-third of the working population, the PRC has proven that a once-lagged state can become a leader in the production of vital industrial and agricultural products.
The same can be said about energy security. China is the world leader in foreign exchange reserves. The number of Internet users in the country has reached 1.03 billion people. This fact in itself can be considered an important indicator of China's democratic development.
The PRC is the main economic and trade partner of more than 140 countries and regions.
The Republic of Azerbaijan, the leading state of the South Caucasus region, has a special place and weight among these countries. Official Baku-Beijing relations have a dynamic pace of development against the background of historical traditions and modern geopolitical realities.
2500 years ago, cultural and trade relations were formed between our peoples through the historical “Silk Road”. The historical connection between our peoples was also reflected in the works of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi, who wrote in the 12th century. Nizami Ganjavi, a great master of words, expressed his great respect and admiration for the Chinese people by describing the “Chinese beauty” in his poem “Seven Beauties”.
A qualitative change in our bilateral relations occurred after the great leader Heydar Aliyev returned to power for the second time. In March 1994, President Heydar Aliyev made his first official visit to the PRC. Within the framework of the visit, 8 agreements were signed, creating an important legal and normative basis for bilateral relations.
The atmosphere of cooperation and friendship characteristic of official Baku-Beijing relations was further developed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and raised to the level of strategic partnership with the signing of the "Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China" within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit held in Astana.
Thanks to the "Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People's Republic of China" signed by the political leaders of Azerbaijan and China in Beijing on April 23 of this year, relations between the two states have risen to the highest level in terms of quality.
The positions of both states and their leaders on fundamental issues completely coincide. Azerbaijan accepts the idea of "One China" and fully supports it in both bilateral and multilateral formats. Azerbaijan defends China's position on the issues of Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and is one of the first countries to condemn the elections held in Taiwan. The PRC also expresses a similar position on the issues of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty, supporting our cause everywhere and always. By the way, let us also note that the fact that there are personal friendly relations between the leaders of both states is also one of the decisive factors influencing the development of relations between our states and peoples.
As Ms. Lu Mei, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the PRC to the Republic of Azerbaijan, rightly noted, “What I feel most after participating in all the processes on this visit is that the diplomacy of the heads of state is a compass and a rising star in the development of China-Azerbaijan relations.” Continuing her thoughts, the ambassador emphasized that "President Ilham Aliyev has already visited China 7 times and has held more than 10 meetings with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China. Good business relations have been established between the two heads of state and deep personal friendship has been strengthened. It is under the strategic leadership of the heads of state that China-Azerbaijan relations have reached the highest level in history. Thus, an example of equal relations and friendly cooperation between large and small states has been formed.”
It is no coincidence that the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, expressed his high trust in the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, saying, "Mr. President is an old friend of the Chinese people. You are always making efforts for the development of China-Azerbaijan relations."
President Ilham Aliyev, in turn, highly appreciated the good attitude of Mr. Xi Jinping towards Azerbaijan, emphasizing, "I know that you have a good attitude towards our country. You are very well known in Azerbaijan, they highly value you for the role you play in global issues, as well as for your good attitude towards Azerbaijan."
Against the background of the above-mentioned realities, very favorable conditions have been created for the development of an environment of bilateral inter-party political dialogue. The New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), which the genius of our time Heydar Aliyev called “the party of yesterday, today and the future”, and President Ilham Aliyev called “the party of the whole people”, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which the Chairman of the PRC Xi Jinping characterized as “the leading political force”, have formed sincere friendly and reliable partnership relations. The foundation of inter-party cooperation relations was laid with the visit of the leadership of the Eurasian Department of the CCP Central Committee to our country on December 20-21, 1999 to participate in the First Congress of the New Azerbaijan Party.
The role of parliamentary diplomacy in the development of bilateral Azerbaijan-China relations is quite large. Mutually, sincere and working relations have been formed between the legislative bodies of both states. Mutual working groups operate in the parliaments of both states. Among the working groups formed in the Milli Majlis on individual countries, the Azerbaijan-China working group is considered one of the largest and most active in terms of its number and functionality.
As noted by the Speaker of the Milli Majlis, Sahiba Gafarova, “The first official visit of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev to China in 1994 laid the foundation of our relations. President Ilham Aliyev’s visits to China and meetings with the President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, have given a great impetus to the development of our relations. Mutual visits contribute to the further development of relations. In particular, the friendship groups operating in our parliaments play a bridge role in our relations. There are opportunities to expand inter-parliamentary relations both in a bilateral format and within the framework of international organizations.”
Against the background of the above-mentioned realities, from August 27 to September 6, a parliamentary delegation consisting of members of the Azerbaijan-China Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group: Soltan Mammadov (chairman), Elman Nasirov, Afat Hasanova and Fatma Yıldırım visited China and participated in the 7th International Seminar of Parliaments of Developing Countries in Beijing. Within the framework of the visit, a wide exchange of views was held on the place and role of developing countries in the modern international coordinate system, the main directions of cooperation between these countries with China and the mechanisms for their implementation, the intersecting and conflicting interests between the Global South and the Global North, democracy and human rights in developing countries, the dynamics of the development of civil society institutions, women's and children's problems and other issues.
In their speeches, the members of the Azerbaijani delegation provided full and detailed information on a wide range of issues related to official Baku-Beijing relations. They emphasized that both states act on common interests in fundamental issues. Recalling that official Beijing has always defended the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani deputies also specifically noted that official Baku unequivocally defends the idea of "One China".
The members of the Azerbaijani Parliament also noted that a very fertile political dialogue environment has been formed between the two states. It is against this backdrop that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev's working visit to the People's Republic of China began on August 30. The Head of State attended and delivered a speech at the “SCO Plus” meeting in Tianjin, China on September 1. Mr. President, drawing attention to the strategic nature of Azerbaijani-Chinese relations, emphasized that “Azerbaijan has actively supported the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by China to promote international peace, security, and development. We also welcome the Global Governance Initiative put forward by the President of the People’s Republic of China as an important and timely step towards improving international relations based on the sovereign equality of states, respect for the UN Charter, and international law.”
It was also noted in the speeches that President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China emphasized the increase in trade turnover between our countries, the expansion of cooperation in the fields of energy, including renewable energy, and digitalization. Mr. Xi Jinping said that Azerbaijan-China cooperation has also been strengthened within the framework of the "One Belt, One Road" project, and noted the importance of transporting Chinese goods through the territory of Azerbaijan, and in this regard, touched upon the importance of the Trans-Caspian route.
Photo: AZERTAC
It should also be noted that on September 3, a parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Chinese people's resistance to Japanese occupation and the Victory in World War II was held in Beijing, the capital of China. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva arrived at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the capital of China, to watch the parade.
The Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation concluded their participation in the 7th International Seminar of Parliaments of Developing Countries in Beijing on September 1 and visited Changchun, Jilin Province, and Jinan, Duning, and Weifang, Shandong Province, until September 6. Within the framework of these visits, meetings were held with the party leaders of the provinces, and acquaintance with the high-tech enterprises and developed agricultural sectors of the mentioned regions took place. China's modern and rapid development dynamics in the mentioned areas and the vast experience they have accumulated have aroused wide interest. All these great successes are characterized as the "Chinese miracle" of economic development and arouse a sense of admiration.
Thus, the above brief analysis of the high-level relations formed between the PRC, one of the world's superpowers, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which has become a regional powerhouse, once again confirms that the friendship and brotherhood of our political leaders, peoples, states, parliaments and ruling political parties are the fundamental reasons underlying all the successes we have achieved and aimed for. Strengthening the multifaceted local, regional and global security environment, the interests of the well-being and progress of our peoples necessitate more successful prospects for the Azerbaijan-China strategic partnership. This is the call of the times.
(If you possess specialized knowledge and wish to contribute, please reach out to us at opinions@news.az).
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