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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 175th out of 180 countries)
Full publication: News from July 29-30 Armenia's Defense Ministry representative congratulates China on PLA's anniversary For the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army of China, a thematic section and a photo exhibition had been created on the website of the Chinese Embassy in Armenia, the Embassy reported on July 29. The Deputy Head of the Defense Policy Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Eduard Yeritsyan presented his congratulatory speech. Yeritsyan noted that "the traditional friendship" supported by a high level of political dialogue and cooperation between the defense departments of their states had become a solid foundation for bilateral relations that would develop dynamically "for the benefit of the Armenian and the Chinese people".
Chinese Ambassador inspects a China-supported project in Armenia
Ambassador Fan Yong. Source: First Channel News The Chinese Ambassador to Armenia Fan Yong and representatives of the UN World Food Program visited the Lusakert community of Armenia's Shirak province, where the UN implements the 'Green Energy for Efficient Agriculture' project, First Channel News reported on July 30. Reportedly, the project was launched in 2021 with a donation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China. The Acting Director of the UN World Food Program Armenia Office, Nanna Skau thanked China for supporting the project. "The People's Republic of China is happy to support similar programs that contribute to poverty alleviation in Armenia," Fan Yong said.
1.08.2022 – 7.08.2022 Georgia's European Socialists publish a pro-Beijing statement and "categorically condemn any political provocation" against China On August 5, the Georgian parliamentary political party European Socialists published a pro-Beijing statement that "categorically condemned any political provocation directed against China". It's noteworthy that the statement was published after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August 2-3 visit to Taiwan. Pelosi became the highest-ranking US government official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. "Georgia, which is committed to internationally recognized obligations and has joined more than one convention or treaty, supports the principle of one China and recognizes Taiwan as an indivisible part of China's territory... For Party members, it is unacceptable to violate the fundamental principles of the state sovereignty of United China and promote separatist activities," the statement said. The party expressed the belief that "recent developments within the territorial and legal borders of the People's Republic of China" were "an attempt to create another center of tension in the world through provocations and incitement policies". They also claimed that the Georgian people "have historically been friendly and always supported" the policies of China. "It is known that the historical attitude of our people towards the Chinese people, based on the socialist ideology in the state, which is so well combined with the principles of private property, which ultimately became the main basis for the great economic progress that the Chinese state has achieved in recent times as an example," European Socialists wrote. They noted that China was "one of the most important strategic partners" for Georgia, both in terms of political and economic cooperation. European Socialists also wrote that they were grateful to the political leadership of China for "constant and unwavering support for the recognition of Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty". It's noteworthy that on August 6, the European Socialists' statement was also published by the Embassy of China in Georgia.
Georgia reiterates its support for the One China principle The Chinese Embassy in Georgia reported that on August 5, the speaker of the Georgian MFA was interviewed by Xinhua's Tbilisi branch and said that Georgia was committed to safeguarding the basic norms of international law, that it valued the firm support of the people's Republic of China for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that Georgia would, as always, firmly support the One China principle.
Georgian Infrastructure Minister and Chinese Ambassador discussed cooperation
A photo from the meeting. Source: The Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia On August 4, the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, Irakli Karseladze, met with the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia, Zhou Qian. The parties discussed the ongoing large-scale infrastructure projects in Georgia involving the Chinese construction companies. They also noted these projects' importance for the economic development of the country and talked about the progress and challenges of the projects. The two sides also talked about the planned projects and opportunities for future cooperation. The Minister thanked the representatives of China for the meeting and expressed hope for their support in the implementation of current projects and quick overcoming of existing challenges. The Ambassador highly assessed the results of cooperation with Georgia, and specifically with the Ministry.
Huawei's program for students in Azerbaijan
Guo Min. Source: Trend On August 2, the closing ceremony of the Seeds for the Future program, Chinese Huawei's global Corporate Social Responsibility flagship program around the world, took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, Trend reported. Huawei provided participants, university students from Azerbaijani universities who majored in telecommunications, with free training on communications equipment. The Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Guo Min said that Huawei was actively participating in the construction of the information infrastructure in Azerbaijan, "continuously improving the country's communication facilities and environment and helping to cultivate more ICT talents". The Vice President of Huawei Central Asia & Caucasia Area Liu Tong stated that the program was a crucial platform for sharing the latest ICT technologies and enriching students' hands-on experience: "This program prepares them to work efficiently in ICT and mobile communications companies. Huawei plans to continue rolling out this program globally and strengthening local partnerships in the long run". According to Trend, the Seeds for the Future program in Azerbaijan was launched in 2016 and in 2019, and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, highly appreciated Huawei's efforts in "the successful implementation of the project".
The President of Peace Committee of Armenia supports China regarding Pelosi's visit to Taiwan On August 7, the Chinese state-controlled media Xinhua published a piece entitled "Political leaders, social organizations from multiple countries blast Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan". In the article representatives who expressed support for the one-China principle following Pelosi's visit included the President of the Peace Committee of Armenia Grigor Petrosyan.
The China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification in Georgia shares statement on Taiwan On August 3, Chinese state-controlled news website China.org.cn reported the statement of the President of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification in Georgia, Yu Hua about Taiwan. According to Yu Hua, "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, which is a historical fact and has been recognized by the international community".
Azerbaijani scholar publishes pro-Beijing propaganda in Chinese state media On August 5, the Director of the international expert club EurAsiaAz and editor-in-chief of Azerbaijan news agency Baku Tribune Seymur Mammadov published pro-Beijing propaganda about Taiwan in the Chinese state media. He assessed the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan as "an outright provocation, a challenge to the mainland". "In recent years, the United States has been increasingly and more persistently provoking China. Previously, it was the Belt and Road theme, which the United States tried to present as a project deliberately imposed by China on countries along the Silk Road in order to make them economically dependent on Beijing. Then there was the issue of the Uygur people, who are allegedly oppressed by the central authorities. All these topics did not receive the expected attention and were rather dismissed, so they could not serve for an extensive provocation," he claimed. Mammadov added that for the US, the main goal was "not human rights and other demagoguery, but a real opportunity to provoke the mainland into confrontation". According to him, Pelosi's visit to Taiwan demonstrated that "the United States is still sticking to its previous policy on the Taiwan question, using the region as a bargaining chip to draw the mainland into an armed confrontation with Taiwan".
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