BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 26. The successful visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to China and the joint statement on establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership mark a new level in China-Azerbaijan relations, Wang Zaibang, senior fellow at the Taihe Institute of China, told Trend.
"A comprehensive strategic partnership means becoming cooperative partners in all critical areas and on major strategic issues," he said, adding that Azerbaijan is a key country in the Central Asia Corridor and the Silk Road, holding significant geopolitical and geo-economic importance.
"The strategic partnership between China and Azerbaijan is primarily reflected in the following aspects:
—A strategic partnership for win-win cooperation and shared development;
—A strategic partnership for safeguarding the security of the Central Asia corridor and promoting the development of the Belt and Road Initiative;
—A strategic partnership for maintaining the fundamental stability of Eurasia's geopolitical landscape," noted the expert.
Zaibang pointed out that during this presidential visit to China, the two sides signed a series of agreements and memorandums of understanding covering nearly all fields.
"Personally, I believe the cooperation between the two countries in digital economy, technology, and space exploration is particularly worth close attention. China leads the world in green energy technology, while Azerbaijan has ambitious plans for developing renewable energy. Cooperation between the two countries in this field offers strong complementarity and enormous potential for growth," he added.
Touching upon one of the paragraphs of the joint statement, which, among other things, says that China supports the elevation of Azerbaijan's legal status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Zaibang expressed optimism regarding the future of relations.
"Azerbaijan is already a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the two sides have established close relations. Azerbaijan recognizes the SCO's purposes and principles, while the SCO highly values Azerbaijan's role in maintaining security, stability, and development in Eurasia. Against the backdrop of current geopolitical tensions and a disordered international economic landscape, we remain optimistic about further elevating the relationship between Azerbaijan and the SCO," he said.
The expert concluded by saying that enhancing Azerbaijan's relations with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is conducive to expanding and consolidating economic, technological, and security cooperation between Azerbaijan and member states within the SCO.