Sino-Azerbaijani conference of 7th International Silk Road Exhibition kicks off in China

Representatives of state institutions, private sector and public organisations of the province took part in the event organised jointly by the government of China's Shanxi Province and the trade mission under the Azerbaijani Embassy in China.

Li Xiaoyin, deputy chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Representative Assembly of Shanxi Province, said the historical Silk Road, which started from Shanxi Province, played an important role in shaping not only trade relations between China and Azerbaijan, but also friendship between our peoples.

The deputy said the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, which is 10 years old, plays an important role in deepening cooperation between the two countries in various fields. He recalled that China and Azerbaijan have been working together on the implementation of the One Belt, One Road Initiative, and Heads of State Xi Jinping and Ilham Aliyev have agreed to develop relations between our countries in various fields, strengthen mutual trust. and support at a meeting in Samarkand last year.

Li Xiaoyin emphasised the good cooperation between Shanxi Province and Azerbaijan, and stressed the importance of the national stand at the Silk Road International Exhibition in Xi'an in terms of demonstrating Azerbaijan's economic opportunities, tourism potential and cultural wealth.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to China Bunyad Huseynov said Azerbaijani-Chinese relations based on the principles of mutual friendship and trust have passed the test of years and are built on a solid foundation. Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, our relations are experiencing a period of dynamic, comprehensive development and have reached a new qualitative level - they have risen to the level of strategic partnership.

The Ambassador noted that during the last meeting held within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, the heads of our states gave instructions to diversify economic cooperation and enrich it with qualitatively new content.

At present, opportunities are being considered to expand the range of cooperation in various economic spheres - energy, transport and logistics, industry, agriculture and other areas of mutual activity. Last year, the volume of trade relations between Azerbaijan and China increased by more than 21 per cent compared to the previous year and amounted to about 2.2 bln US dollars. Similar positive dynamics has been maintained in the current year: the volume of mutual trade has increased by about 50 per cent in the first 9 months of the year.

Emphasising that Azerbaijan is China's largest trade partner in the South Caucasus, Huseynov said that the energy sector is an important component of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and that China's advanced experience and technologies in the field of alternative energy are of interest to Azerbaijan.

Noting that the transport and transit sector is one of the main directions of Azerbaijan and China cooperation, the diplomat noted that transport arteries passing through Azerbaijan, the created modern infrastructure, Baku International Sea Trade Port, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and other projects will provide the shortest and most efficient transport routes for transporting cargoes from China to Europe and back, drew attention to the formation. The interest of transit operators and logistics companies of China to the "Middle Corridor" is growing, in this connection the importance of cooperation in the formation of route trains, exchange of logistics information and placement of cargoes was emphasised.

Noting that the mutual activity of our countries in the cultural and humanitarian sphere has great potential, the ambassador noted that student and cultural exchange, mutual visits of delegations representing various spheres serve to deepen cooperation in the humanitarian direction and create favourable conditions for international communication.

Azerbaijan's Trade Representative in China Teymur Nadiroglu made a presentation on our country's economic and trade potential, business and investment environment, transport and logistics infrastructure, role in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Representative said Azerbaijan, where political and economic stability has been ensured, has attractive opportunities for Chinese companies in various economic spheres, including industry, green energy, digital economy, transport, agriculture. He also spoke about the ongoing work on the reconstruction of the economic areas of Garabagh and East Zangazur, which have suffered great destruction during the 30-year period of occupation, and said that the active participation of friendly countries, including Chinese companies, in this process is desirable. And about the favourable conditions offered in the industrial parks and economic zones established in the regions liberated from occupation.

Presentations on economy, foreign trade relations and culture of Shanxi province were made at the event. Ikhtiyar Atalizadeh, an employee of the trade mission, made a broad presentation of Azerbaijan's tourism potential and said that Azerbaijan's tourism sector has seen great development in recent years, making our country a popular tourist destination for travellers from different regions of the world with its cultural heritage, colourful nature, ancient and modern architecture.