On January 29, 2026, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, welcomed a highly anticipated signing. At the headquarters of Azerbaijan State Oil Company (SOCAR), SOCAR President Rivshan Najaf shook hands and took a photo with Yang Jianqiang, Chairman of China CITIC Construction Co., Ltd., jointly signing a framework agreement. This is not only a cooperation between enterprises, but also a vivid portrayal of the deepening cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy and infrastructure, opening a practical prelude to international cooperation in 2025.

Continuing the successful experience and jointly expanding into new fields of energy and infrastructure

At the signing ceremony, both parties reviewed their successful cooperation in the past and had in-depth discussions on future cooperation directions. According to the agreement, CITIC Construction and SOCAR will jointly explore cooperation opportunities in areas such as energy infrastructure, downstream projects, and joint venture construction. SOCAR also introduced the progress of its ongoing projects in Azerbaijan and abroad, as well as the overall strategic goals of the company, laying the foundation for the subsequent collaborative promotion of project implementation.

Global layout and comprehensive service capability of CITIC Construction

As an important subsidiary of CITIC Group, CITIC Construction has continuously expanded its overseas markets and business scope in recent years. The company not only has strong capabilities in traditional engineering fields, but also actively extends towards comprehensive services. At present, CITIC Construction has established branch offices in more than ten countries and regions including Algeria, Angola, Brazil, Argentina, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, South Africa, Kenya, Myanmar, etc., forming a wide international network.

Continuously visiting Central Asia and deepening regional energy cooperation

This signing with SOCAR is not the first energy cooperation project of CITIC Construction in Central Asia recently. Just last month, CITIC Construction reached an agreement with Kazakhstan National Oil and Gas Company to jointly promote the construction of the Karachagannak natural gas processing plant project. At the same time, CITIC Construction, as one of the members of the consortium, successfully obtained the EPC general contract for the construction of a single pipeline gallery trunk line (ethane, propane) in Atyrau Oblast, Kazakhstan. A series of actions demonstrate the active layout and professional capabilities of Chinese enterprises in the field of international energy engineering. Keywords: Southeast Asian news and information, Southeast Asian international news

With the continuous deepening of cooperation between China and countries along the Belt and Road, such projects not only promote local energy and infrastructure construction, but also inject new impetus into cross regional connectivity and sustainable development. Editor/Yang Beihua