The digest covers China’s political, diplomatic, economic 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 178th out of 180 countries).
Armenia-China
- Armenia’s leading fintech company Idram announced the launch of a strategic partnership with Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay), Armenpress reported on January 30.
Within the framework of this partnership, Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay) users will be able to make payments across Armenia by scanning Idram QR codes at more than 26,000 points of sale using their Weixin (WeChat) application.
The Director of Idram Arsene Kdenian said that, as the next phase of the cooperation, Idram users would also be able to make payments in China via Weixin Pay (WeChat Pay) QR using the Idram&IDBank application.
- Chinese SANY Group is exploring investment opportunities in Armenia in the field of solar energy and energy storage systems, News.am reported on January 29.
Reportedly, the company is considering implementing projects with a capacity of up to 1 GW in Armenia, within the framework of which it is looking for collaboration partners or relevant projects.
Azerbaijan-China
A meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and China
During a meeting with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China stood ready to work with Azerbaijan to “consolidate political mutual trust, carry forward traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, strengthen international coordination”, CGTN reported on January 28.
Wang also called on the two countries to strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, explore more areas of shared interests and create more growth points for cooperation.
“As Global South countries, China and Azerbaijan should work together to practice true multilateralism, uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core and promote the building of a more just and effective global governance system,” he added.
Bayramov said that Azerbaijan firmly believed that “China’s development presents opportunities for the world”, supported the four global initiatives proposed by China and was willing “to join the Group of Friends of Global Governance“.
Bayramov expressed readiness to work with China to “step up high-level exchanges, strengthen inter-party communication, expand cooperation in areas including trade and investment, connectivity, science and technology, education and tourism, deepen coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation”.
Middle Corridor
- According to Xinhua, the first cross-Caspian Sea China-Central Asia freight train traveled from Tianjin Municipality in China to Baku, departing the country via Horgos Port in Xinjiang on January 19.
- Reportedly, in 2025, Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) handled 392 block trains, marking a 37% increase compared to 2024.
- In 2025, the Baku International Sea Trade Port handled over 107,000 TEU containers, representing a 40% increase compared to 2024.
Companies
- On January 5, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan was China’s priority partner in the region, emphasizing that military-technical cooperation had begun within the framework of the political agreements reached. “This cooperation was partially demonstrated at the military parade, but this is just the beginning. We see great mutual interest. In addition, not limiting ourselves to the acquisition of military equipment, we are working on the creation of joint ventures and work in this direction has already begun,” Baku.ws reported him saying.
- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the 240-megawatt Khizi-Absheron Wind Power Plant, a renewable energy project constructed by PowerChina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited (HDEC), People’s Daily reported on January 9. Aliyev described the completion of the plant as a milestone that enhances the nation’s energy capacity.
- China National Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (CNCEC) expressed its readiness to further deepen cooperation with Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company (SOCAR), Azernews reported January 15.
- Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Economy Samed Bashirli discussed expanding cooperation with Chinese companies Wanji Aluminum Co., Ltd. and Sunstone Development Co., Ltd., as well as the potential for joint projects in aluminum production, the Trend reported on January 19.
Other
- On January 30, the Central Bank of Azerbaijan and China’s UnionPay International signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at expanding cooperation in card payments and digital transaction technologies.
Under the memorandum, the two sides will cooperate on the issuance and processing of UnionPay cards in Azerbaijan, the integration of international money transfer systems, and the deployment of QR-code and token-based payment technologies. Reportedly, the agreement also establishes a legal and institutional framework for closer collaboration between the Central Bank and UnionPay in the payments sector.
- Azerbaijan announced it was introducing a visa-free regime for holders of passports from China’s Macao Special Administrative Region from February 2, 2026, through February 2, 2027.
- China’s Hong Kong passport holders can visit Azerbaijan visa-free up to three times for 30 days per stay from February 2, 2026, to February 2, 2027, The Standard reported on January 30.
Georgia-China
Meetings
- On January 27, the Georgian Dream Minister of Foreign Affairs Maka Botchorishvili met with the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Zhou Qian. The parties reaffirmed their readiness to further promote the development of the strategic partnership between Georgia and China.
The prospects for the Middle Corridor‘s further development were also highlighted. “The parties underscored their willingness to continue cooperation aimed at strengthening the legal framework between the two countries,” the report added.
Events
During an event held by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Georgia to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Zhou Qian said that economic and trade cooperation between China and Georgia yielded fruitful results in 2025 under the Belt and Road Initiative, Xinhua reported on January 29.
Zhou noted that “Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze personally attended four ceremonies and spoke highly of the contributions of Chinese companies to the country’s infrastructure development”.
An interview with the Chinese Ambassador
In an interview with Business Insider Georgia, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Zhou Qian noted that Georgia’s favourable business environment had attracted the attention of more Chinese enterprises.
He also said that the China-Georgia relations were at their best historically, with a “solid foundation and great potential for investment cooperation”, Imedi reported on January 21.
He also noted that in 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed between the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia and the Civil Aviation Administration of China on the joint development of the Air Silk Road and on the mutual granting of fifth-tier free air traffic rights.
While discussing investments, the Ambassador said the following: “By establishing a strategic partnership with China, signing a free trade agreement and actively integrating with the Belt and Road Initiative, Georgia created a relatively open and stable business environment for Chinese investors… Overall, by continuously optimising the institutional environment, strengthening political coordination and personnel exchanges, Georgia will be able to further strengthen its position as an important investment destination for Chinese enterprises in the Caucasus region and achieve mutually beneficial development goals”.
According to Zhou Qian, China believes that there is relatively great potential for cooperation in several areas, including infrastructure upgrade and logistical cooperation and digital economy and artificial intelligence. The Ambassador added that Georgia aspired to become the “digital centre of Eurasia.”