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CHINA WATCH

China's Activities in the South Caucasus Issue 72, 24.10.2022 – 30.10.2022

ავტორი: Medea Ivaniadze

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) 

 

  • Georgian Dream Chairman says he expects deeper relations between his party and the CCP
  • Armenia and China will write a new chapter in their traditional friendship, Armenian PM says
  • President Aliyev expects the ruling parties of Azerbaijan and China to make new contributions to their friendship
  • China is ready to work together with Georgia to create a "community of a common destiny", Chinese Ambassador says
  • China is ready to work with Azerbaijan and "to stand on the right side of history", Chinese Ambassador says
  • Chinese Ambassador to Armenia says that significant progress was made in various fields of China-Armenia relations

 

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Georgian Dream Chairman says he expects deeper relations between his party and the CCP

On October 28, the Chinese state media China Daily published news entitled "Highlights of foreign congratulatory messages on Xi Jinping's election as general secretary of CCP Central Committee" which contained comments from the Chairman of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party. Reportedly, Irakli Kobakhidze expressed the expectation that relations between his party and the CCP as well as the ties between the two countries would be deepened, "to bring more opportunities to bilateral cooperation in various areas". He also "voiced confidence" that under Xi's leadership, "the Chinese people will, for sure, continue achieving development and prosperity".

 

Armenia and China will write a new chapter in their traditional friendship, Armenian PM says

According to the Chinese state media China Daily's October 28 report, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his belief that under CCP Chairman Xi Jinping's leadership, the CCP would play an even greater role in maintaining national stability and development and improving people's well-being. According to the Armenian Prime Minister, Armenia and China will write a new chapter in their traditional friendship.

 

Azerbaijani President expects the ruling parties of Azerbaijan and China to make new contributions to the friendship

The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said that CCP Chairman Xi Jinping's election fully demonstrated the trust of all CCP members and their support for him, Chinese state media China Daily reported on October 29. Aliyev  noted he expected the ruling parties of the two countries "to make new contributions to the friendship and friendly cooperation between the people in both countries".

 

China is ready to work with Azerbaijan and "to stand on the right side of history", Chinese Ambassador says

On October 30, the Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan published an article by the Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Guo Min entitled "To the 73rd anniversary of the People's Republic of China and the 30th anniversary of friendship between China and Azerbaijan". The article was originally published by Vzglyad.az.

The Chinese Ambassador wrote that "in the face of risks and challenges rarely before observed", China was ready to work with Azerbaijan and "to stand on the right side" of history and human progress: "Let us join our efforts, build a community with a shared future for mankind, and create a better world, together!"

On the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Azerbaijan, the Ambassador said that their "mutual political trust" had steadily deepened, practical cooperation yielded productive results, humanitarian and cultural ties strengthened, and traditional friendship had become ever stronger. "Sino-Azerbaijani relations have reached unprecedented heights," Guo Min added.

Regarding the September 15 meeting between CCP Chairman Xi Jinping and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Guo Min noted: "The Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan is ready to work with the Azerbaijani government and supporters from all walks of life to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, to deepen practical cooperation between the two countries in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and promote bilateral relationships to a higher level".

 

China is ready to work together with Georgia to create a "community of a common destiny", Chinese Ambassador says

On October 24, an article by the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Zhou Qian entitled "A new journey begins with the 20th Congress, let's welcome the new future together" was published by Imedi News.

Zhou Qian discussed the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, China's "achievements" and its vision of the future. He noted that China promoted "a community of a common destiny, true multilateralism, a new type of international relations". He said that China actively participated "in the reform and construction of the global governance system, it gave the world the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative..."

The Ambassador said that they were ready to work together with Georgia and other friendly countries to create a "community of a common destiny, where there will be lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, cleanliness, and beauty".

While discussing China's plans, the Ambassador said that China would further deepen cooperation with other countries, including Georgia, within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China will continue to develop friendly cooperation with other countries, promote the establishment of new types of international relations, and expand global partnerships based on equality, openness, and cooperation. China will continue to support developing countries, including Georgia" The Ambassador added.

In his essay, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia also targeted the West and claimed that "the rise of Anglo-America was achieved by the capital accumulated by the brutal pillaging of the colonies and the bloody slave trade, which cannot and should not be repeated".

 

Chinese Ambassador to Armenia says significant progress was made in various fields of China-Armenia relations    

On October 27, the Chinese Embassy in Armenia published an article entitled "The Global Significance of Modernization with Chinese Characteristics" by the Chinese Ambassador to Armenia, Fan Yong. The article was originally published by Golos Armenii.

Along with other issues, Fan Yong discussed relations between China and Armenia. He wrote that despite the drastic international changes and the epidemic situation, "thanks to the joint efforts of both sides", the Chinese-Armenian friendly relations had maintained the momentum of fast, stable, and healthy development.

"The Chinese side is ready to strengthen exchanges with the Armenian side on public administration issues, share useful experience that is gained from promoting modernization with Chinese characteristics, strongly support Armenia in its development path that is in line with its national characteristics, and continue to assist Armenia within its capabilities," Fan Yong wrote.

Fan Yong also added that China was ready to work with the Armenian side for the benefit of the two countries and peoples and jointly promote the building of the "community of the common destiny for mankind".

 

Chinese state media publishes positive comments of Azerbaijani Ambassador to China about China    

The comments of Azerbaijani Ambassador to China, Akram Zeynalli, were published by Chinese state-controlled Xinhua on October 28. Reportedly, as the Ambassador to China, he paid close attention to the report about the foreign policy of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and spoke highly of its contents such as "promoting world peace and development and push forward the establishment of a community with a shared future for mankind" proposed in the report.

The report also said that Azerbaijan was willing to continue to work with the Chinese side to promote the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road framework. "In the future, I believe that China will make greater contributions to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development," Zeynalli said.

 

Georgian Ambassador speaks positively of China      

On October 29, the Chinese state-controlled Xinhua published comments by the Georgian Ambassador to China, Archil Kalandia.

"In the past 10 years, China has played an increasingly significant role in global affairs," Kalandia said according to the report. He also said he believed that China would gain more brilliant development achievements and make greater contributions to world peace and development.

After speaking positively about China, he also touched upon Georgia-China relations. Kalandia said that Georgia was a country along the Belt and Road Initiative with an advantageous geographic location and a highly competitive market environment, and that Georgia would catch an important opportunity for jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative, and achieve greater development in regional trade, transportation, and logistics.

 

The Azerbaijan Huawei day 2022 was held in Baku

A photo from the event. Source: Azertac

On October 25, the Azerbaijan Huawei day 2022, themed "Enjoy growth, win together", was held in Baku, Azertac reported. At the event, the General Manager of Azerbaijan Huawei David Xu said: "Huawei has been operating in Azerbaijan since 2004… Huawei has long been committed to development with partners in Azerbaijan. Our goal is to drive digital service transformation for customers across industries. We believe that only with our partners can we help our customers succeed in a rapidly changing world and create new value across industries".

The Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of China in Azerbaijan, Counselor Ma Chi, noted that "with advanced technologies, reliable products, perfect solutions, and high-quality services", Huawei had helped the development of the telecom and digital industries in Azerbaijan and "supported the cultivation of human resources in related fields". Ma Chi said that more government departments and enterprises on the Azerbaijani side were welcome to learn more about Huawei, discuss cooperation, and "jointly improve Azerbaijan's information and communication infrastructure, and strengthen digital transformation and upgrade in fields such as oil and gas, education, agriculture, finance, and photovoltaic (PV), new energy vehicles, national data centers, and smart cities".  The Counselor added: "We believe that with the joint efforts of Huawei and Azerbaijan, partners and clients, China-Azerbaijan cooperation in science and technology will become a new bright spot and a new growth point for bilateral strategic cooperation".

 

More Chinese companies are exploring cooperation possibilities with Azerbaijan, Chinese Embassy representative says

A photo from the event. Source: Vzglyad.az

More and more Chinese companies are actively exploring the possibilities of cooperation with Azerbaijan, said the advisor for trade and economic affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Azerbaijan, Ma Chi, Vzglyad.az reported on October 26.

"This is the first exhibition after the pandemic. Chinese companies are returning and they totally desire to cooperate with Azerbaijan," he said at the opening of the trade fair of Chinese products in Baku.

 

Comments of Georgian Ambassador to China appear in China Daily

A photo from the exhibition. Source: China Daily

China's state-controlled China Daily reported that on October 27, more than 300 people including diplomats and others visited the Beijing Exhibition Center and saw the exhibition of the achievements on the theme of "Forging ahead in a new era".

China Daily reported comments by the Georgian Ambassador to China Archi Kalandia. According to Karandia, as a country with great influence on the international stage, China sticks to opening up to the world and provides new opportunities for the world with its new development. The report said that as a beneficiary of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, Georgia was looking forward to more active and in-depth cooperation with China.

 

The Chinese Embassies in Georgia and Armenia hold online exhibition on China

On October 31, Interpressnews reported that the Chinese Embassy in Georgia was holding an online photo exhibition entitled "An Extraordinary Decade of China in the New Era" at Cn.ge. The exhibition is organized by the Chinese Embassy in Georgia and ForYou Media Holding.

According to the Embassy information, the photo exhibition is dedicated to a new era in the People's Republic of China, the period after the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012, "when the baton was taken by the new central government of the Party and President Xi Jinping".

A similar exhibition was announced by the Chinese Embassy in Armenia on the Embassy website, although organizers were not noted.

 

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