On May 26, 2023, Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu attended upon invitation Azerbaijan's National Day reception hosted by the Azerbaijani Embassy in China and delivered remarks.

Ma Zhaoxu said that China and Azerbaijan are friendly cooperative partners. Last September, President Xi Jinping and President Ilham Aliyev held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand, during which they took stock of the outcomes of the development of China-Azerbaijan relations over the past 30 years, and drew a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations. China is ready to join hands with Azerbaijan to implement the important common understandings between the two heads of state in all aspects, continuously improve the quality and level of China-Azerbaijan mutually beneficial cooperation, and strive for constant progress and development of China-Azerbaijan relations.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to China Akram Zeynalli spoke highly of the development momentum of bilateral relations and the outcomes of the meeting between the two heads of state in Samarkand, and said that Azerbaijan-China relations are built on the basis of friendship, mutual respect and trust. He noted that developing relations with China is a diplomatic priority for Azerbaijan, and his country stands ready to leverage its geographic advantages to continue to actively participate in the Belt and Road cooperation and expand cooperation with China across the board.