At a media briefing held in Baku, Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rumei emphasized that the cooperation between the two countries is shifting from "quantity increase" to "quality improvement". Chinese enterprises are deeply involved in Azerbaijan's green energy, automobile manufacturing and digital infrastructure, jointly promoting high-quality cooperation under the the Belt and Road Initiative, and injecting strong impetus into the connectivity of Eurasia.

China ranks among the top three

At the beginning of 2026, the economic and trade cooperation between China and Azerbaijan has achieved a "good start". According to the latest data from the Azerbaijan Customs Committee, the bilateral trade volume reached 420 million US dollars in January 2026, a year-on-year increase of 10.1%. This data not only broke the monthly trade record, but also allowed China to surpass multiple traditional trading partners for the first time and become Azerbaijan's third largest trading partner.

This breakthrough is not accidental. Looking back at 2025, the trade volume between China and Azerbaijan has shown explosive growth, with a total annual value of 4.87 billion US dollars, and China has maintained its position as the largest source of imports for Azerbaijan. Entering 2026, this growth momentum continues to be strong, demonstrating the high complementarity and resilience of cooperation between the two economies.

From trade to the entire industry chain

Not only has the trade between the two countries grown rapidly, but the quality and level of cooperation have also significantly improved, "said Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Rumei at a press conference in Baku. She pointed out that China Arab cooperation has evolved from simple commodity trading to deep integration of the entire industry chain.

Currently, Chinese companies are actively participating in multiple strategic projects in Azerbaijan. In the energy sector, companies such as China Energy Engineering Corporation are accelerating the promotion of renewable energy projects such as photovoltaic modules; In the manufacturing industry, Chinese enterprises are active in fields such as automobile manufacturing, information and communication technology, and building materials production. This shift from "selling products" to "building factories" marks a higher stage of high-quality development in cooperation between the two countries.

The Trans Caspian Corridor becomes a golden artery

The surge in trade volume cannot be separated from the strong support of logistics channels. As an important part of the the Belt and Road Initiative, the Trans Caspian International Transport Corridor, also known as the "Middle Corridor", is becoming the golden artery connecting China and Azerbaijan.

On New Year's Day 2026, the first cross sea train departed from Xi'an International Port Station and headed straight to Baku loaded with photovoltaic modules. This route has reduced the transportation time from the traditional 2 months to as fast as 11 days, greatly reducing the logistics costs of enterprises. With the normalized operation of trains from Tianjin, Xi'an and other places to Baku, the freight flow across the Caspian Sea corridor has significantly increased, playing an important role in maintaining the stability of global production and logistics chains.

Ambassador Rumei stressed that China and Azerbaijan are jointly promoting the high-quality construction of the the Belt and Road and the successful operation of the trans Caspian international transport corridor, which not only benefits the two countries, but also sets a model for the connectivity of Eurasia.Editor/Yang Meiling