“Nowadays the Great Silk Road which contributed to the development of technologies and exchange of cultural achievements and even religious ideas is on the verge of its second birth. Azerbaijan and China are two countries that have the huge impact on the global economic growth,” General Director of the China Yiwu Import and Export Co Ltd, Zhou Qing told Eurasia Diary within the framework of her visit to Baku.
In the wake of her meeting with the Azerbaijani Ambassador to China, she is expected to meet with the representatives of the Haydar Aliyev Foundation and the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan. Mutual relations and cooperation on the Great Silk Road are top Zhou’s agenda.
The President of the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF), Umud Mirzayev also received her in the IEPF office.
During the meeting she talked about the opening of the eight-storied Azerbaijani Cultural Center in the Chinese city of Yiwu which is famous for its largest markets, the fourth and not the last center in the country.
She mentioned that the Azerbaijani Cultural Center aims to inform the people of China with the culture, history, traditions and cuisine of Azerbaijan. A restaurant with national Azerbaijani cuisine operates in the center.
Zhou Qing stressed that a special place in the Center will be occupied by rooms with Azerbaijani products, in which Azerbaijani wines, including pomegranate, as well as pomegranate juices and mineral waters will be presented.
As she claims, the goods produced in Azerbaijan are high quality. So, local wines can bravely compete with French ones. Nevertheless, the problem is that Azerbaijan is less known In China, giving preference to goods from other countries. That is why the country launched a campaign two years ago to inform the Chinese about Azerbaijan, whose purpose is not only to strengthen cultural ties and develop tourism, but increase trade turnover between the two countries.
Zhou Qing said if one learns about Azerbaijan in China, the country will become popular all over the world. The reason is apparent: the Chinese diaspora is the largest in the world, and China is the largest exporter.
She admitted that she has more than 300 friends from Azerbaijan, where she is a frequent guest. For the first time having visited Azerbaijan 15 years ago, she noted the many infrastructural changes in Baku. She admires the Azerbaijani cuisine, the beauty of Baku and Shamakhi and carpets with national ornaments. Zhou Qing plans to have a rest at the Naftalan resort, the healing properties of the baths of which have long been heard from their Azerbaijani friends.
Zhou Qing reckons that today’s demand on cultural tourism is experiencing unprecedented growth. Due to her opinion, such tendencies unleash spectacular opportunities for Azerbaijan to lure much more tourists from China.