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 178th out of 180 countries).
Armenia-China
Relations Advance in Legislative Ties, Armenian Government Program Commitments
- Government Program Seeks SCO Membership
According to Armenia’s 2026-2031 government program, sent to parliament for approval and reported by News.am on August 20, “The [Armenian] government will continue to consistently implement the agreements reached as a result of the meeting of the prime minister of Armenia and the president of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] on August 31, 2025, as well as continue work to develop cooperation in the domains noted in the joint statement on raising the level of Armenian-Chinese relations to the level of strategic partnership and achieve tangible results”.
The program also states that Armenia will seek to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
- Armenia Discusses SCO Cooperation with Secretary-General
On August 12, Armenia’s Ambassador to China Vahe Gevorgyan met with the SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev. During the meeting, Gevorgyan presented Armenia’s approaches to developing cooperation with the SCO and highlighted the importance of Armenia’s participation in the “SCO Plus” Summit.
- Interparliamentary Relations
On August 4, Armenpress reported that the Chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress Zhao Leji congratulated Ruben Rubinyan on his election as the Speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly. Zhao noted that cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative had yielded important results and expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ legislative bodies.
On August 12, Armenpress reported that Rubinyan had met with the Chinese Ambassador to Armenia Li Xinwei and the two discussed further deepening of the interparliamentary relations.
- Air Connectivity to Expand
On August 10, Armenpress reported that China Southern Airlines had opened its Yerevan office.
Azerbaijan-China
Relations Advance between Prosecutor Bodies and in the Energy Field
- A MoU Between Prosecutor Bodies Signed
On August 31, Azertag reported that a Chinese delegation led by the Chief Grand Prosecutor and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate Ying Yong visited Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office and met with the Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev. A Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies was signed. Ying said that close cooperation between the prosecutorial bodies would help protect “rights of citizens” and prevent crime.
The same day, according to Trend, Ying’s delegation also met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova, where cooperation between the ruling New Azerbaijan Party and the Chinese Communist Party was praised and Azerbaijan’s participation in the Belt and Road Initiative was also highlighted.
Caliber.az reported that Ying had also met with the Supreme Court Chairman Inam Karimov, with the Chinese side stressing the importance of strengthening cooperation.
- Energy Sector Exchange Intensifies
Report wrote on August 20 that China’s Datang Corporation organized a training and technical visit program for Azerbaijani energy sector specialists, with participants from the Ministry of Energy, the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources, Azerenerji OJSC and Azerishiq OJSC.
On August 27, Azertag reported that SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf had met with Export-Import Bank of China Vice President Wang Kang. They discussed opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector, including oil refining.
- Political Trust and Shared Interests as “A Strong Foundation for Ties”
On August 20, Xinhua reported that the Leader of the Azerbaijan-China interparliamentary relations working group in Azerbaijan’s National Assembly Soltan Mammadov said the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership had further consolidated the foundations of cooperation. He described China as a reliable partner and noted further collaboration was a strategic priority. Mammadov said mutual respect, political trust and shared interests were a strong foundation for ties.
- Xi Jinping Documentary Aired
On August 14, according to APA, an Azerbaijani-dubbed screening of “The Heritage Guardian”, a documentary on Xi Jinping’s “contributions” to Chinese cultural heritage protection, was held in Baku, organized by China Media Group and the Chinese Embassy.
Georgia-China
Ties Expand in Trade, Tourism Promotion and Youth Exchange
- US Report Names Georgia in Transshipment Scam Report
On August 13, the White House published a report entitled “the Great Transshipment Scam”. According to the report, the United States loses tens of billions of dollars to the illegal transshipment of goods and historically, much of this activity had involved Chinese-origin goods. Georgia was among the named countries: “Azerbaijan and Georgia provide rail and dry-port transit, consolidation, and overland-to-maritime connections”.
Responding to a journalist’s question, according to Bm.ge, the Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze from the Georgian Dream party said: “Are any specific facts cited? I don’t think any specific facts are cited. We are asking for facts”.
- China Was Georgia’s Major Export and Import Partner in the First Half of 2026
In January-July 2026, China was Georgia’s second biggest export partner, receiving $493 million in exports (10.6% of total exports), which was a 166.4% increase compared to the same period last year.
China was Georgia’s third biggest import partner, with $1,299 million in imports (22.3% growth), accounting for 12% of total imports.
More than half of Georgia’s exports to China continue to be ores and concentrates of precious metals.
- Tourism and Electric Vehicle Trade
On August 29, Finchannel reported that the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development from the Georgian Dream party Irakli Nadareishvili had met with Trip.com Group Vice President Edison Chen. Reportedly, as part of an integrated marketing campaign targeting China, Georgia has been cooperating with Ctrip, Trip.com Group’s major travel platform.
Bm.ge reported on August 23 that electric vehicle imports to Georgia rose by 45% in January-July 2026. China ranked second among top-10 importing countries at $7.2 million and 818 units.
- Youth Exchange and Chinese-Made School Uniforms
1TV reported that a Chinese youth delegation, supported by Georgia’s Ministry of Education, had visited Georgia from August 9 to 15 to deepen relations, strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties and share experience in youth affairs.
Bm.ge reported on August 7 that the Ministry of Education initiative had made school uniforms mandatory for public primary school students. The uniforms were made in China and would go on nationwide sale in Georgia.
- GD MP Cites Western Leaders China Visits to Defend Georgia’s China Policy
On August 25, the Georgian Dream party MP Levan Machavariani wrote a statement on social media.
One part of that contained the following narrative: “Radicals were hindering us and deceiving the public that a close partnership with China would distance us from the West; then we saw the visits of the leaders of the US, Britain, France, and Germany to China, statements made and steps taken by the leaders of these countries on the need for close partnership with China”.
A story from June 2026
- EU Neighbourhood East Annual Survey Highlights Georgian Perceptions of China
In June, EU Neighbourhood East published its Annual Survey 2026 country report. The report included findings on Georgian public perceptions of China.
On the question of trust toward international institutions, 60% of respondents said they tended not to trust China, while 26% said they tended to trust it. Asked about the level of financial support to Georgia from various international actors, 9% of respondents rated China’s support as high or very high, 23% said moderate and 12% said low or very low. Meanwhile, 21% said China provided no financial support and 35% said they did not know.
Asked which international actor they believed to be Georgia’s largest financial contributor, respondents ranked China third at 16%, after the EU (24%) and the US (18%).
The quantitative survey, based on 1002 randomly selected respondents, was conducted through interviews held in January-February 2025.