The digest covers China’s political, diplomatic, economic, and other activities in the South Caucasus region and relations between China and the South Caucasus countries. It relies on a wide variety of sources, including the Chinese media. It is worth noting that the Chinese media is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (according to the World Press Freedom Index, China is nearly at the bottom of the list and ranks 172nd out of 180 countries).
Armenia-China
Armenia interested in a strategic partnership with China
The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Beijing, China Daily reported on June 27. During the meeting, the Armenian side expressed interest in establishing strategic partnership.
Wang told Mirzoyan that in an era of globalization, “the Global South is rising collectively, adding that bloc confrontation is outdated and the international landscape is moving toward multipolarity“.
“China has been committed to promoting the democratization of international relations and opposing the return to law of the jungle,” Wang informed.
Mirzoyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to upholding the One-China principle and supporting China in safeguarding its core interests.
Armenia announced plans to join SCO
- The Armenian government announced plans to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, nearly three months after committing itself to seeking Armenia’s membership in the European Union, RFE/RL reported on July 3.
“Sharing the founding principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, namely territorial integrity, non-use of force and inviolability of borders, the Republic of Armenia has expressed a desire to become a member of the SCO,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.
The announcement came one week after Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s visit to China.
- On July 7, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that Armenia was a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He said other agendas of the organization, like AI, digital economy, green transition, and climate issues were also important for Armenia.
BRI & Crossroads of Peace
Armenian Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan met with the Chinese Ambassador to Armenia Li Xinwei. Sargsyan noted that the cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Armenia and the Ministry of Public Security of China was gaining a new quality and had the potential to expand.
She said that the Belt and Road and Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiatives were “confidently comparable” to promote cooperation based on mutual interests.
The parties also discussed opportunities for further development of collaboration in the fight against crime, road safety, disaster risk management and migration policy.
Law enforcement body cooperation
On July 11, Investigative Committee Chairman Artur Poghosyan met with the Chinese Ambassador to Armenia Li Xinwei.
Poghosyan praised the “productive cooperation” between the law enforcement bodies of the two countries.
The exploratory and educational visit of Investigative Committee staffers to China last year was also addressed and the Ambassador emphasized the need for continuing the training courses, noting that such courses would soon be organized for all staffers at the Investigative Committee.
Chinese drones
Yerevan is increasingly relying on Chinese DJI drones to monitor its borders, Intelligence Online reported on July 9. Reportedly, the mission is being overseen by Armenia’s national security service, which gets its supplies directly from DJI’s Chinese parent company.
Azerbaijan-China
SCO
- Azerbaijan participated in the 4th meeting of ministers and heads of agencies responsible for information and communication technologies (ICT) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states. The Deputy Chief of staff at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Digital Development and Transport Bakhtiyar Mammadov reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s readiness to deepen cooperation with SCO member states and highlighted the organization’s important role in promoting regional development.
- At the forum entitled Industrial Innovation as a Driving Force for Sustainable Energy Development in Ningbo, China, Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said that Azerbaijan, as a dialogue partner of SCO, placed special importance on deepening cooperation with the SCO.
Huawei
During the 4th meeting of ministers and heads of agencies responsible for information and communication technologies (ICT) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Digital Development and Transport Bakhtiyar Mammadov toured several advanced technological facilities operated by Huawei, including the Intelligent Transport Systems Center and the Green Cloud Data Center. Mammadov also met with the Vice President of Huawei Angela Lin and other senior executives, discussing prospects for future collaboration in digital infrastructure, smart transportation systems and green technologies.
Middle Corridor
According to the Rail Freight, the railway companies of Azerbaijan and China agreed on increasing the number of block trains along this line to 10 per day.
Civil aviation
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport Elmin Mammadov met with a delegation led by the Deputy Director General of the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration.
Reportedly, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the State Civil Aviation Agency of Azerbaijan signed a document outlining cooperation across various areas of civil aviation, including air connectivity, aviation infrastructure, sustainable aviation, flight safety and aviation security.
Georgia-China
Poti port
The container yard project at Georgia’s Poti port, constructed by the China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC), officially commenced operations on June 10.
According to the Chinese side, “as the largest and most advanced intermodal container yard in Georgia, it is designed to handle up to 500,000 TEUs annually”. The Chinese report note that yard’s operation is expected to directly enhance infrastructure at Poti port.
According to Railway Gazette, the US$30m project was privately funded by investors from Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Air passengers travelling between Georgia and China increased by 91%
According to data released by the Georgian Dream Ministry of Economy, in the first five months of 2025, the number of air passengers traveling between Georgia and China climbed to 29 212, a 91% increase compared to the same period last year.
Reportedly, regular flights between Georgia and China are operated by China Southern Airlines and Air China on the Urumqi-Tbilisi-Urumqi route. These airlines operate a combined 10 weekly flights, with further expansion under discussion. In addition to passenger traffic, the two countries also collaborate in air cargo transportation.
Discussion on the update of the FTA
On July 4, the Georgian Dream Deputy Minister of Economy Genadi Arveladze participated in the second meeting of the Joint Commission on the Georgia-China Free Trade Agreement, during which the first consultation on the update of the agreement was also held.
Georgian Dream representative said that the changes in the agreement will help reduce trade barriers and ensure flexibility in cooperation mechanisms. According to him, “the modernization of the agreement may be carried out in the areas of electronic commerce, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures and investment promotion“.
At the meeting, the parties expressed their expectation to complete negotiations on the expansion of the free trade agreement by the end of 2025.
Other
- On July 11, Georgian Dream Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili met with the Special Representative of the Chinese Government for European Affairs Lu Shaye, where particular attention was given to strengthening trade and economic ties between the two countries.
It is noteworthy that in 2023, the Chinese diplomat gained attention by claiming that the ex-Soviet states had “no effective status in international law”.
- On June 9, Interpressnews reported that a delegation from China’s Guangdong province visited Georgia.
The Georgia-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference was held which was organized by the chambers of commerce and industry of Georgia and China. The conference was attended by 15 Chinese and about 40 Georgian companies, as well as officials. Participating companies represented the following sectors: sustainable energy and engineering, strategic investments, business sector consulting services, industrial development and industry. - The company GT Group, winner of the Tbilisi metro tender, will purchase 111 railcars from the Chinese company CRRC.