China’s top diplomat to visit Azerbaijan, Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria to boost ties

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Azerbaijan and three Balkan countries amid Beijing’s push to shore up its trade corridors and geopolitical influence in the regions.

Wang will attend the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday “as special representative of President Xi Jinping”, according to China’s foreign ministry.

Aside from Azerbaijan, Beijing’s top diplomat will visit Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, it said, for a four-nation trip running from October 14 to 20.

This will mark Wang’s first visit to Azerbaijan in seven years.

His trip to Montenegro will be the first-ever official visit by a Chinese foreign minister since the country gained independence 20 years ago.

Wang last visited Bulgaria as foreign minister in 2015.

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According to foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, China hopes to engage in full dialogue with all parties at the CICA summit, uphold multilateralism and work to improve governance in Asia.

“As the current international and regional landscape is becoming more complex and volatile, Asian countries have a stronger wish to safeguard peace and tranquillity and promote economic growth,” she said at a press conference on Monday.

Mao added that Wang on his trip would meet with the countries’ foreign ministers and hold in-depth exchanges with their leaders.

His itinerary spans important logistics hubs and Balkan infrastructure partners along the Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

This transport link connects China to European markets by passing through Kazakhstan, crossing the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, continuing through Georgia and Turkey, and bypassing Russia.

The countries Wang will visit have also engaged with Beijing through the Belt and Road Initiative, a China-centred global trade and infrastructure scheme.

Croatia, Montenegro and Bulgaria are important partners for Beijing in southeastern Europe, Mao said, adding that China has had significant cooperation with the countries in trade, investment, tourism and infrastructure.

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This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Montenegro, and the two countries have jointly delivered flagship cooperation projects, including Montenegro’s North-South highway, she added.

Mao said the Peljesac Bridge in Croatia, built by a Chinese company, had become a symbol of China-Croatia and China-Europe cooperation.

China hoped Wang’s visit would “strengthen the alignment of development strategies with Croatia, expand practical cooperation, and ensure that bilateral relations enjoy steady and sustained growth”, the spokeswoman added.

Bulgaria became one of the early European members of the Belt and Road Initiative when it signed a memorandum of understanding in 2015.

It has cooperated with China in science and technology innovation, finance, green initiatives, environmental protection, agriculture, energy, forestry and health.