China Radar: South Caucasus is a monthly publication dedicated to China’s activities and influence in the three nations of South Caucasus.
Strategic Partnerships
In a message sent to the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and premier Li Qiang on 17 February, prime minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, wrote that his country attached great importance to elevating relations with China “to a strategic level that creates new opportunities for both countries,” expressing the intent to “enrich the framework of our strategic partnership with ambitious goals and new programs.”
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Also on 17 February, president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, wrote to Xi Jinping that his country was “gratified by the continued deepening and enrichment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and China, built on a solid foundation.”
China’s Presence, Activities and Influence in the South Caucasus
Economic Involvement and Connections
The Georgian media reported on 12 February that the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) had “gained access to the China Interbank Bond Market (CIBM) under a memorandum signed between the NBG and the People’s Bank of China.” The NBG said that “this places it among a small group of central banks authorized to operate in the CIBM.” The head of the NBG, Natia Turnava, said that the access to the CIBM would “significantly enhance the efficiency of international reserves management and support their diversification,” adding that the NBG “plans to share its experience with the private and financial sectors to facilitate their participation in the Chinese securities market.”
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On 5 February, the Chinese media reported that a Chinese company, Goldwind, had “completed the first turbine installation at Georgia’s largest wind power initiative to date, the Ruisi Wind Power Project, located near the city of Gori.”
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In a 3 February meeting with the general manager of China’s North Star Sinogold Company, Georgia’s ambassador to China, Paata Kalandadze, discussed “prospects for the deepening of the Georgian-Chinese partnership in international supply chain development and port logistics,” agreeing “to maintain close communication on this matter.”
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China’s ambassador to Armenia, Li Xinwei, stated on 6 February that the frequency of Urumqi–Yerevan flights had increased to three times a week.
Technological Influence
The Georgian authorities reportedly increasingly employ “Chinese-made facial recognition and mass surveillance technologies,” to “monitor and penalise protesters and government critics.”
Stances and Activities by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia Benefiting China’s Foreign Policy
Support for China and its Policies
On 4 February, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, stressed in an interview with the Chinese media that Azerbaijan “was one of the first nations to condemn the elections held in Taiwan in January 2024.” Bayramov “reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s strong commitment to the ‘One China’ principle,” saying in this regard that “provocations, unilateral actions, or attempts to alter the status quo through external interference only heighten the risk of conflict and undermine international trust.”