BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 23. The volume of
trade between Azerbaijan and China totaled $2.610 billion in the
first seven months of this year.


According to Trend’s calculations based on data from the State
Customs Committee, this is $107.3 million, or 4.3%, more than the
same period in 2025.


Over the reporting period, trade with China accounted for 8.93%
of Azerbaijan’s total trade volume. Thus, China ranked fourth among
the countries with which Azerbaijan conducts the largest volume of
trade.


In the first seven months of this year, Azerbaijan exported
goods worth $68.4 million to China. This is $15.1 million, or
approximately 28.3%, more than the same period last year.


During the reporting period, Azerbaijan imported goods from
China worth $2.542 billion, which is $122.3 million, or 3.8%, more
than the same period in 2025. Thus, China ranked first on the list
of countries from which Azerbaijan imports the largest volume of
goods.


Overall, economic and trade relations between Azerbaijan and
China are developing rapidly. Bilateral cooperation is not limited
to trade alone. Recently, relations have also been expanding in the
financial sector, capital markets, payment systems, energy,
geological exploration, and agriculture. In this context, the
prospects for cooperation between the Central Bank of Azerbaijan
and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) were
discussed, and SOCAR and the Chinese company BGP Inc. continued
their efforts to implement joint projects and expand their
partnership.


In addition, the agreements reached on granting access for
Azerbaijani hazelnut and almond products to the Chinese market are
of great importance for increasing non-resource exports between the
two countries.


One of the key areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and China
is the development of the Middle Corridor. Azerbaijan’s strategic
geographical location and its transportation and logistics
capabilities enhance the importance of this route, which connects
China with European markets. In recent years, expanded cooperation
within the framework of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Baku
International Sea Trade Port, and other transportation
infrastructure projects has contributed to an increase in freight
volumes along the Middle Corridor and to the strengthening of the
region’s transit potential.


In this regard, transportation and logistics links are becoming
one of the key areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and China.
Azerbaijan plays a key role as a transit country within the "Belt
and Road" initiative, and the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian
International Transport Route) offers an alternative and secure
route for freight transport between China and Europe. The Middle
Corridor serves as an alternative to both the Northern Route
through Russia and the maritime route. Reports by the World Bank
and the Asian Development Bank identify this corridor as a
strategic alternative in terms of risk diversification. Azerbaijan,
in turn, serves as a hub for multimodal transport along this route,
a key organizer of the Caspian crossing, and a platform for
implementing solutions in the areas of real-time monitoring and
digital logistics. All of this has significantly increased global
attention and interest in the country, and joint efforts to develop
the Middle Corridor have become of exceptional importance for its
further advancement.


Incidentally, since Azerbaijan is considered one of the key
countries along this transport route, it has also managed to
attract China’s interest. Thus, in October 2025, a Memorandum of
Understanding was signed between Azerbaijan Railways CJSC and the
Chinese port of Xi’an. The document provides for the expansion of
multimodal transport, the optimization of container trains, and
real-time monitoring of freight shipments.







Significant growth in freight volumes has also been recorded
along the Middle Corridor. Over the past six years, freight volumes
along the Middle Corridor have increased fivefold, exceeding 4
million metric tons per year. This was made possible primarily by
the development of maritime transport and improvements to port
infrastructure.


The further development of the corridor, in the context of
shared interests, may allow for an even greater increase in its
capacity in the future.


One of the main areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and
China is the energy sector. Cooperation in the energy sector is not
limited to investment projects but has become one of the main
pillars of the country’s sustainable development strategy. It is
already clear that Azerbaijani-Chinese energy cooperation has moved
beyond the traditional energy sector and entered the stage of the
"green" transition. This aligns with both Azerbaijan’s climate
goals for 2030 and 2050 and China’s global strategy for exporting
"green" technologies. Projects such as the "Khizi-Absheron" wind
farm (WF) and the "Gebustan" solar power plant (SPP) demonstrate
that Chinese companies act not only as contractors but also as
technological and financial partners.


One of the key areas of Azerbaijani-Chinese economic cooperation
is the localization of industry and "green" energy technologies. In
this context, the Alat Free Economic Zone (FEZ) is emerging as a
new platform for industrial partnership between the two countries.
"Sunsync" the first Chinese company officially registered in the
zone, is preparing to establish a solar panel manufacturing
facility there.


Valeh Alasgarov, chairman of the board of directors of the
authorized body of the Alat Free Economic Zone, stated in an
exclusive interview with Trend that the company will first introduce its
cutting-edge technologies in Azerbaijan and build a solar panel
manufacturing plant covering an area of 23 hectares in the Alat
Free Economic Zone. According to him, the majority of the products
manufactured will be exported, and the goal is to reach not only
the domestic market but also international markets.


"From day one, our goal has been to enter not only the
Azerbaijani market but also the global market. We recommend that
investors use solar panels manufactured in the Alyat Free Economic
Zone for installation on the roofs of businesses operating here. At
the same time, the company will be able to participate in all
relevant tenders held in Azerbaijan," said Valeh Alasgarov.


He noted that once Sunsync begins production, it will be more
convenient for companies building solar power plants in Azerbaijan
to source panels from within the country, both logistically and
cost-wise.


"We have also offered the company a plot of land for the
construction of a solar power plant in the Alat Free Economic Zone.
Thus, using the panels manufactured here, it will be possible to
sell the ‘green energy’ produced at the plant to enterprises
operating in the Alat Free Economic Zone," he added.