The current situation, problems and future direction of energy cooperation between China and Azerbaijan

Abstract

The increasing geopolitical risks of the Eurasian continent due to the Russia-Ukraine war have accelerated the urgent needs of major Eurasian economies for the energy industry chain and supply chain adjustment and restructuring. Azerbaijan connects China, the Middle East and Europe, which is of great strategic significance in the short-chain and decentralization of Eurasian energy security. In recent years, Azerbaijan has been committed to strengthening its position in the field of building global energy security, has participated in a number of large-scale construction projects of transportation infrastructure networks and the construction of energy transportation pipelines, and made large-scale investments to adapt to the needs of short-chain and decentralized energy security. The European Union has also strengthened energy cooperation with Azerbaijan for the diversification and reliability of energy supply. Compared with European and American countries, China's cooperation with Azerbaijan is relatively lagging behind and is easily disturbed by regional security and stability. Under the background of the "Belt and Road" initiative, cooperation between China and Azerbaijan should avoid the traditional field of energy mining, focus on strengthening cooperation in the fields of renewable energy and clean energy, and improve cooperation on the construction of East-West railway transportation trunk lines and energy infrastructure and regional security cooperation between China-Central Asia-Caspian Sea-Azerbaijan-Europe.