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.
