China Radar: South Caucasus is a monthly publication dedicated to China’s activities and influence in the three nations of South Caucasus.
China’s Presence, Activities and Influence in the South Caucasus
Diplomatic Messaging
In an article published in the Armenian media on 6 April, China’s ambassador to Armenia, Li Xinwei, wrote that Beijing intended to “steadily advance high-quality joint construction of the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative,” and stressed his government’s appreciation of the fact that “the Armenian side firmly adheres to the ‘One China’ principle.”
Economic Involvement and Connections
On 16 April, Georgia‘s BasisBank, owned by Chinese conglomerate Hualing Group, announced that it had “acquired a 95.99% ownership stake in Liberty Bank,” the third-largest lender in Georgia.
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On 22 April, China and Georgia signed “the Protocol to the Amendment of the Free Trade Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Georgia.”
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On 25 April, the Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Mariam Kvrivishvili, stated that Georgiaand China had “made a very important decision to create an intergovernmental format that will ensure support for attracting the largest investments, as well as the involvement of Chinese companies in strategic projects” in Georgia.
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Direct flights between Tbilisi and Shanghai were set to launch on 15 July 2026, the Georgian media reported in late April.
Technological Influence
Chinese officials communicated with representatives of Azerbaijan and Georgia regarding information and communication technologies in April 2026.
On April 24, the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev, wrote that “based on the comprehensive strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and China, with Mr. Zhuang Rongwen, Minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China, we discussed bilateral cooperation between our countries in the field of digital development, social media and the fight against disinformation and deepfakes.”
The same Zhuang Rongwen also met with the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Mariam Kvrivishvili, on 21 April, where it was “noted that the development of large-scale data centres was strategically important for Georgia, and would turn the country into a regional digital hub,” and “parties discussed the possibility of cooperation in this direction.” The two sides also “focused on cooperation between the two countries for the use and implementation of artificial intelligence in the public and private sectors.” Zhuang Rongwen also met with the Georgian Minister of Justice, Paata Salia, where the two discussed “the use of artificial intelligence, the development of mobile applications and the implementation of digital identity (Digital ID) initiatives.”
Stances and Activities by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia Benefiting China’s Foreign Policy
Support for the Belt and Road Initiative
In a meeting with the ambassador of China to Georgia, Zhou Qian, on 8 April, the Georgian president Mikheil Kavelashvili “focused on the importance of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Middle Corridor.”