In Azerbaijan, the Chinese language is becoming not merely a subject of study, but a stable channel for training human resources, strengthening public trust, and forming a deeper social foundation for bilateral partnership.

by Emin Gasimov

On April 20, the United Nations system observes the Chinese Language Day. This date was established within the framework of the UN's policy of multilingualism and the equal use of its six official languages. Chinese has been an official language of the UN since 1946, while the tradition of language days was introduced in 2010 to promote multilingualism, cultural diversity, and more balanced international communication.

Symbolically, the date of April 20 is associated with the Guyu season and the figure of Cangjie, who in Chinese tradition is linked to the origins of writing. For this reason, April 20 provides an opportunity to reflect upon the role of the Chinese language in today's global culture and diplomatic exchanges. In an era where language increasingly serves not only as a means of communication but also as a carrier of cultural memory, educational mobility and international trust, the significance of this date extends far beyond linguistics, highlighting the cultural and social value of language.

The essence of this date lies in the fact that it brings together three levels of meaning of the Chinese language. First, it is the language of a great written civilization, whose historical depth is explicitly associated in official UN materials with the five-thousand-year trajectory of Chinese characters. Second, it is one of the working instruments of contemporary multilateral diplomacy. Third, it is a language through which cultural heritage is transformed into a resource for modern international interaction in the fields of education, humanitarian exchanges, and dialogue between civilizations.

In a broader historical sense, throughout the long history of human civilization, the Chinese language has been a vehicle for progress, development, culture, and peace. As the bearer of one of the world's most enduring and continuous intellectual traditions, it has ensured the transmission of knowledge, shaped cultural codes, accompanied trade, educational, and diplomatic ties, and thereby served as an important instrument of dialogue between civilizations. Therefore, the International Chinese Language Day is rightly perceived today as a day recognizing not only the language itself, but also the entire civilizational function it continues to perform in the twenty-first century.

In the Azerbaijani context, April 2026 has given this international date a particularly concrete dimension. On April 14, a ceremony was held at the Central Office of the New Azerbaijan Party to inaugurate a Chinese language course organized jointly by the party and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The first lesson was conducted following the ceremony. This fact in itself carries significance that goes beyond a single educational initiative: the Chinese language is increasingly entering not only the sphere of university education, but also the broader domain of institutional and people-to-people exchange.

It is particularly important that this initiative demonstrated the active and substantive role of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and personally of Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lu Mei. The Embassy acted not merely as a ceremonial participant, but as one of the practical driving forces behind the project. In her remarks at the event, Lu directly linked the growing interest in learning the Chinese language with the deepening of relations between the two countries and the two parties, and also emphasized the Embassy's readiness to continue creating the necessary conditions for the development of such formats. The Azerbaijani side, for its part, publicly expressed its gratitude to the Embassy and personally to Lu for supporting the initiative. With these elements, the April course represents a new step in people-to-people exchanges: language and cultural cooperation is becoming an increasingly visible component of the infrastructure of Azerbaijani-Chinese friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

It is essential to underscore that the current growth of interest in the Chinese language in Azerbaijan did not emerge spontaneously. Its institutional foundation has been developed consistently over the course of two decades. At Baku State University, a Chinese regional studies program has been in operation since 2004. In 2011, in cooperation with Anhui University, the Confucius Institute at Baku State University was established. Since 2022, the Faculty of Oriental Studies has offered a specialization in Chinese philology, and on Dec. 8, 2023, an agreement was signed between Baku State University, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, and Anhui University on a joint bachelor's program in international Chinese language education. It is also indicative that since the establishment of the Confucius Institute at Baku State University, approximately 6,000 participants have completed training there. All of this demonstrates that the teaching of the Chinese language in Azerbaijan has grown into a mature and sustainable component of the local education system.

An equally significant role is played by Azerbaijan University of Languages. It is the Confucius Institute at the Azerbaijan University of Languages that officially functions as a center for administering the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) and Hanyu Shuiping Kouyu Kaoshi (HSKK) examinations. Successful completion of these examinations and the attainment of an internationally recognized certificate provide opportunities to pursue studies in the People's Republic of China under scholarship programs. Consequently, the infrastructure for learning the Chinese language in Azerbaijan has developed not only as a cultural and educational environment, but also as a system linked to international certification, academic pathways, and tangible educational prospects.

At the current stage, it is particularly significant that the Chinese language is gradually moving beyond the confines of capital-based university classrooms. In January 2026, Azerbaijan University of Languages announced the establishment of a branch of the Confucius Institute at the Bilasuvar "kindergarten-school-lyceum" complex named after Mubarez Ibrahimov. This step is expected to enhance the quality of education in the region, strengthen the interest of schoolchildren and young people in the Chinese language and culture, and contribute to the development of international educational ties. As early as April 1, 2026, at an event held at the Azerbaijan University of Languages, it was further confirmed that the teaching of the Chinese language at this complex would be implemented in practice. This allows us to speak of the beginning of an important process: in Azerbaijan, the Chinese language is starting to acquire not only a capital-centered, but also a regional educational dimension. At the same time, the social base for its study is expanding. In October 2025, a branch of the Confucius Institute at the Azerbaijan University of Languages was opened at the Baku Youth Center, with the project implemented with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Azerbaijan. From an analytical perspective, this is particularly indicative: the Chinese language is becoming part not only of the higher education sphere, but also of a broader youth and public space. In other words, this is no longer merely an expansion in the number of educational venues, but the gradual formation of a wider social environment in which interest in China is becoming institutionally embedded.

Today, the Chinese language in Azerbaijan is increasingly perceived as a practical resource. This is primarily due to the fact that it provides access to an internationally recognized system of language certification and, through it, to academic mobility. Successful completion of the HSK and HSKK examinations opens the way to studying in the People's Republic of China under scholarship programs. At the same time, mass-format language training is also developing: at Azerbaijan State University of Economics, distance Chinese language courses have been in operation since 2019, and as of March 2025, more than 500 students have already participated in them. Thus, the language is becoming an increasingly accessible and popular choice among Azerbaijani youth.

From this follows a broader conclusion. Under contemporary conditions, the Chinese language in Azerbaijan is acquiring the significance of a channel for educational advancement, international mobility, and future professional demand. As noted by Ilham Aliyev in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency in April 2025, productive partnerships between the two countries' universities, including the teaching of Chinese in Azerbaijani institutions through Confucius Institutes and the establishment of Azerbaijani language and cultural centers in China, contribute to enhancing mutual understanding and deepening friendship between the two peoples.

The particular significance of the current stage lies in the fact that the study of the Chinese language in Azerbaijan is no longer confined to an exclusively academic or cultural-educational domain; it is increasingly becoming integrated into the broader framework of the deepening Azerbaijani-Chinese comprehensive strategic partnership. The joint statement on such a partnership of April 23, 2025 explicitly recorded the parties' intention to continue student exchanges, support the development of Confucius Institutes in Azerbaijan, promote the teaching of Azerbaijani and Chinese languages in educational institutions, expand youth and academic contacts, and strengthen humanitarian exchanges overall. This indicates that language cooperation is no longer positioned at the periphery of the bilateral agenda, but has been recognized as one of the established areas of long-term interaction. It is precisely for this reason that we can confidently speak of the practical manifestation of an already established political and humanitarian logic.

The opening on April 14 of a Chinese language course at the Central Office of the New Azerbaijan Party, organized as a joint initiative of the party and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Azerbaijan, along with Ambassador Lu's statements regarding the growing interest in the Chinese language in Azerbaijan, demonstrate that the Chinese language is beginning to function as an instrument of both educational and institutional mutual understanding.

Consequently, the significance of the Chinese language at the present moment is increasing because it is progressively transforming into an infrastructural element of relations between the two countries. When a language is simultaneously supported at the level of intergovernmental agreements, diplomatic initiatives, university training, youth formats, and regional expansion, it begins to perform the function of long-term humanitarian capital. This constitutes the central meaning of the current stage: in Azerbaijan, the Chinese language is becoming not merely a subject of study, but a stable channel for training human resources, strengthening public trust, and forming a deeper social foundation for bilateral partnership.

Thus, in the Azerbaijani context of 2026, the UN Chinese Language Day of April 20 acquires a significance that extends far beyond that of a symbolic calendar date. It allows one to observe an already established and continuously expanding process: the Chinese language in Azerbaijan is consolidating its position as a language of education, youth mobility, humanitarian exchange, and institutional dialogue. The combination of a university base, international certification, regional expansion, and new socio-political formats demonstrates that what is taking place is not a set of isolated initiatives, but the gradual formation of a coherent infrastructure of linguistic and cultural interaction.

In a deeper analytical sense, this signifies the following: the Chinese language is becoming one of the most subtle, yet at the same time one of the most resilient mechanisms of Azerbaijani-Chinese relations. It is through language that the capacity is formed to better understand the logic of another civilization, expand the space of trust, prepare a new generation of specialists, and strengthen the societal foundations of bilateral friendship.

Editor's note: The author is director of Azerbaijan's Center for the Study of China's Global Initiatives, Development and Culture.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua.