In the morning of August 31, President Xi Jinping met at the Tianjin Guest House with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2025 and the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

President Xi Jinping pointed out that China and Azerbaijan are good friends and good partners. Over the past 33 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have enjoyed increasingly deepened traditional friendship and continued to strengthen political mutual trust, and their mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded fruitful results. In April this year, the two sides announced the establishment of the China-Azerbaijan comprehensive strategic partnership, ushering in a new chapter of all-round cooperation between the two countries. China and Azerbaijan are companions on the journey towards development and revitalization. China is willing to work with Azerbaijan to maintain the robust momentum of bilateral cooperation, and jointly open new vistas in the pursuit of win-win development.

President Xi Jinping stressed that the two sides should maintain strategic communication and give firm support to each other. The two sides should foster greater synergy between their development strategies, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, accelerate trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, continue to enhance the efficacy of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, expand cooperation in traditional areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, and energy, and cultivate new growth drivers for cooperation in emerging areas such as digital economy, green development, and artificial intelligence. The two sides should strengthen exchanges on education, science and technology, culture, tourism, youth and at subnational levels, so as to pool greater resources and strengths and firm up the popular foundation for the development of bilateral relations. China supports Azerbaijan in joining the SCO, and stands ready to enhance multilateral coordination with Azerbaijan in a joint effort to safeguard the common interests of the Global South, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

President Aliyev noted that the Azerbaijan-China comprehensive strategic partnership demonstrates the high level of bilateral relations. The two countries have maintained close high-level exchanges, extended mutual support on issues relating to each other’s core interests and major concerns, and actively advanced cooperation across the board. Two-way trade between the two countries has registered rapid growth. The Azerbaijani side firmly abides by the one-China principle and opposes “Taiwan independence.” Azerbaijan is willing to work with China to deepen cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, science and technology, connectivity, and tourism, so as to bring greater benefits to the two peoples. Azerbaijan is willing to deepen cooperation with China within the SCO and jointly contribute to peace and development in the region and the world.

The two sides signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as artificial intelligence, scientific and technological innovation, finance, and media.

Cai Qi and Wang Yi, among others, were present at the meeting.