Xi Jinping Drives SCO Into New World Order While Beijing Shows Military and Political Power

Relations between Azerbaijan and China are entering a new phase in which economic interaction is increasingly intertwined with geopolitical calculations. In recent years, bilateral ties have evolved from pragmatic economic cooperation into a formalised comprehensive strategic partnership, reflecting Baku’s growing role in Eurasian logistics and Beijing’s expanding presence in the South Caucasus.

China used this year’s Boao Forum for Asia to present itself as a stabilising force in a fragmented global economy, even as analysts warned that deep structural weaknesses and geopolitical pressures could challenge that narrative.

When the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) convened its annual summit this year, two South Caucasus countries were noticeably absent from its inner circle. Azerbaijan and Armenia, both aspiring to at least observer status, faced obstacles not from Moscow or Beijing but from the regional rivalry between India and Pakistan.

Amid waning U.S. influence and Moscow’s loss of control, a new player is quietly but steadily entering the geopolitics of the South Caucasus — China. Traditionally focused on its immediate neighborhood and global trade arteries, Beijing has in recent years expanded its footprint across the turbulent trio of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. China’s growing presence — spanning trade, infrastructure, diplomacy, and soft power — is having far-reaching implications for Eurasian connectivity, regional equilibrium, and the global order.