President Xi has sternly warned that tariffs and trade wars, as Xi puts it, ‘consume the legitimate interests of all peoples’ and are, in fact, detrimental to the multilateral normative trading system and economic order framework in existence today. This statement was made alongside a meeting that occurred over the weekend in Beijing with Azerbaijan President Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who was on a state visit to China during this time, and released by the Xinhua news agency.
A United Front: China and Azerbaijan Stand Against Trade Protectionism
While talking, Xi had relayed China’s willingness to work alongside Azerbaijan in sustaining the contemporary world system, especially with the UN at its epicenter, as the linchpin in this system. He further reiterated that China is also prepared to support Azerbaijan in maintaining international fairness and justice, with both sides championing global equity.
Establishing a Strategic Alliance: Promoting Bilateral Cooperation
During the meeting, a noteworthy revelation was made public, the Covenant of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China and Azerbaijan, with an achievement of signing twenty cooperation documents, which marked a historical milestone focusing on the signature of twenty cooperation documents to reflect the breadth and depth of their relations. Under Azerbaijan’s cooperation, these agreements are included in the Belt and Road Initiative. They concern issues including legislation, green development, a digitized economy, intellectual property rights, and aerospace technology cooperation.
Coversan Agreement: Primary Partners in Belt and Road
Geographically, Azerbaijan lies between Iran, Russia, Georgia, and Armenia, thereby making it strategically significant. Crucially, it supported the Belt and Road Initiative much earlier than most followed. This tectonic initiative, set into motion by Xi, aimed at development infrastructure projects in 2013. It seeks to spread China’s geopolitical and economic clout worldwide via networked infrastructure projects. Continued and early support from Azerbaijan highlights the underlying strategy vested in both countries.
Encouraging Business Exchange: Visa Waivers and Increased Access to Markets
Striving to develop further people-to-people contacts and business relations, China and Azerbaijan announced a mutual visa exemption for citizens with ordinary passports. This agreement is likely to foster increased cooperation and exchange between the two countries at multiple levels, promoting enhanced understanding and collaboration.
In addition, both countries committed to expanding the green and high-quality agricultural products market access. They also promised to improve cooperation in the field of renewable energy, acknowledging the importance and rise of sustainable development and clean energy globally.
Enhancing Transportation Links: The Construction of a Trans-Caspian Express Route
With regard to the trade and transportation future, President Xi reiterated China’s readiness to work with Azerbaijan and other Belt and Road Initiative countries. There is a need to enhance the efficiency of customs and cargo movement by streamlining the whole process in the region. An important part of this vision is the creation of a safe and stable direct trans-Caspian express route for China-Europe. This would allow significantly improved connectivity and cut down the time it takes to travel between Asia and Europe.
An Alliance in Opposition to Protectionism
The meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Ilham Aliyev highlights China’s steadfast allegiance to multilateralism and its advancing strategic partnership with Azerbaijan. The establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership denotes the deepening of bilateral relations and cooperation on multiple fronts, sculpting Xi’s resolute opposition to tariffs and trade wars. The world faces heightened protectionist attitudes, but the partnership between China and Azerbaijan, alongside their unified stance in support of a fair international framework, serves as a striking counterbalance.
