Baku — September 8, 2025
China is ready to work closely with Azerbaijan to sustain the positive momentum in bilateral ties and to open new areas of cooperation, the country’s ambassador in Baku said Monday.
Speaking at a briefing, Ambassador Lu Mei described President Ilham Aliyev’s recent state visit to China (August 30 – September 3) as a turning point that “gave powerful impetus to bilateral and multilateral cooperation.” According to Report, she emphasized that Aliyev and President Xi Jinping had now met more than ten times, establishing what she called a “deep personal friendship” alongside close working relations.
“The leaders exchanged views on strengthening political trust and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation,” Lu said, adding that the agreements reached during the visit had elevated ties to their highest level in history.
Xi Jinping, she noted, stressed the importance of aligning national development strategies, advancing high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, and further liberalizing trade and investment. Priority areas include expanding the capacity of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), infrastructure, agriculture and energy, while also opening new cooperation in the digital economy, green development and artificial intelligence.
Lu underlined that beyond economics, expanding cooperation in education, science, culture, tourism, youth exchanges and regional partnerships was vital for building a strong foundation for long-term relations.
Looking ahead, she described the China–Azerbaijan comprehensive strategic partnership as having “broad prospects and great promise,” pledging Beijing’s commitment to implement agreements reached at the leadership level.
The ambassador also highlighted China’s focus on the Middle Corridor. “Azerbaijan was among the first countries to join the Belt and Road Initiative. Beijing attaches great importance to the Trans-Caspian route in boosting regional connectivity, supporting economic growth and ensuring the stability of global supply chains,” she said.
According to Lu, freight flows along this route have nearly doubled. In the first seven months of 2025, Azerbaijan received 225 block trains from China, up from about half that number a year earlier. “By year’s end we expect to handle more than 400 trains. Tomorrow I will attend a ceremony for a China–Europe cargo train arriving in Baku from Zhejiang,” she noted.
Aliyev, departing Beijing last week, thanked the Chinese side for the “warm and friendly reception” and underscored his government’s readiness to deepen cooperation further.
