Shahmar Hajiyev, Director of the Azerbaijan International Relations Analysis Center, recently stated in a written interview with Xinhua News Agency that China has embarked on an effective and forward-looking development path. The “15th Five Year Plan” proposal approved by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China provides valuable reference for countries in the global South to achieve sustainable development and long-term economic transformation.
Hajiyev stated that countries in the global South are increasingly becoming important participants in the world economy. Green development and sustainable growth are priorities for the development of countries in the global South, and mutual learning in areas such as renewable energy and resilient infrastructure is crucial for building a sustainable future.
Hajiyev pointed out that the “15th Five Year Plan” proposes to enhance the “safety resilience and operational sustainability” of infrastructure, and “promote the upgrading and digitization of traditional infrastructure”. These suggestions will provide important references for countries in the global South to build a modern infrastructure system.
Azerbaijan is strengthening cooperation with China in fields such as photovoltaics and new energy vehicles. Hajiyev believes that deepening technological cooperation, digital innovation, expanding knowledge sharing networks, and exploring environmentally friendly modernization development paths will create new opportunities for countries in the global South.
Hajiev pointed out that the relevant measures in the “Fifteenth Five Year Plan” proposal for high-quality joint construction of the “the Belt and Road” bring new opportunities for the development of the joint construction of the country. Azerbaijan actively participates in the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road”, and is committed to achieving economic diversification and improving connectivity. Azerbaijan is an important hub of the Trans Caspian Sea International Transport Corridor (the “Middle Corridor”), and its unique geographical advantages will help fully tap the potential of the “the Belt and Road” initiative.
The ‘Middle Corridor’ provides a cost-effective route for the transportation of goods from China to Europe. In recent years, with the transformation of the global trade pattern, the ‘Middle Corridor’ has developed rapidly, and countries related to the corridor, including Azerbaijan, are working together to expand the scale of transportation, “he said.
Hajiev said, “It is very important to achieve sustainable and diversified growth that benefits the broad population without attaching political conditions. The the Belt and Road Initiative focuses on creating development opportunities and achieving economic growth, which is the key to broad support for the initiative.”. He was deeply impressed by the proposals in the 15th Five Year Plan, such as “strengthening the strategic alignment with the joint construction of the country”, “deepening the ‘hard connectivity’ of infrastructure, ‘soft connectivity’ of rules and standards, and ‘heart connectivity’ with the joint construction of the country and its people”.