Aiming for new heights

The launch of the BRI in 2013 created new possibilities to develop Armenia-China relations within the initiative

In September 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative during his visit to Kazakhstan. It envisaged massive investments in physical and digital infrastructure to develop ties between China and the world while contributing to the development of the Global South.

The initiative came to life after the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, which sent shock waves across the world, making clear that the post-World War II economic system based on the economic hegemony of the United States was not able to secure a fair and just development path for the world.

The developing countries faced tough challenges in creating the necessary physical and digital infrastructure to provide their populations with a better and more prosperous future. The existing multilateral financial institutions, such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, proved their incapacity in dealing with the new challenges. In such circumstances, China, which has secured astonishing economic growth since the early 1980s and raised hundreds of millions of people from poverty, became the new hope for many developing countries as a source for effective developing models and needed financial resources to boost their economies.

In the past 10 years, the BRI has played a significant role in supporting the economic growth of many developing countries in the Global South, covering vast areas from Africa to Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The new programs, such as the Digital Silk Road and Health Silk Road, expanded the scope of the BRI. In recent years, China has launched additional initiatives, such as the Global Security Initiative, Global Development Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, enriching and enhancing the BRI. As the world is passing through a challenging period of transition from a unipolar world marked by absolute US hegemony to a more diverse system, with many great and middle powers interacting, cooperating and competing with each other, China, as a respected and responsible member of the international community, seeks to contribute to the secure, stable and prosperous development of the world.

After gaining independence in 1991, Armenia took steps to establish friendly relations with China, viewing Beijing as a significant player in the emerging new world order. The launch of the BRI in 2013 created new possibilities to develop Armenia-China relations within the initiative. Former Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan paid a state visit to China in March 2015, emphasizing the importance of developing bilateral relations and cooperation within the BRI, and incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited China in May 2019.

The flagship project for involving Armenia in the BRI is the "Persian Gulf-Black Sea" multimodal transportation corridor launched in 2016 by Armenia, Iran, Georgia, Bulgaria, and Greece. The idea behind this project is to establish another trade route which may connect China with Europe via Iran, South Caucasus and the Black Sea. The project envisages the transportation of goods from China to Iran by sea, then from the Iranian Persian Gulf ports by railways and highways via Armenia and Georgia to the Black Sea, and then to Bulgaria, Greece and further into Europe.

To facilitate the realization of the project, Armenia launched the construction of a "North-South" highway to foster the transportation of goods from Iran to Georgia via Armenia in 2012. Chinese companies are actively involved in the realization of the project. Currently, the Chinese Sinohydro Corporation is involved in the construction of the "North-South" highway.

Another area of Armenia-China cooperation within the BRI is the development of cultural ties and people-to-people contacts. In 2018, the Armenia-China friendship school was established in Yerevan through the support of the Chinese government. The school teaches Chinese language and is perceived as one of the top education centers of Armenia. There are active cooperation and contacts between Armenian and Chinese academicians and scholars, studying the BRI and prospects of Armenia-China cooperation within the initiative.

In June 2023, a group of Chinese scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences visited Armenia and held meetings at the National Academy of Sciences and the Yerevan State University. There is close cooperation between non-governmental organizations in Armenia and China within the BRI. Armenian NGOs and think tanks participate in such initiatives as the Silk Road Think Tank Network and the Silk Road NGO Cooperation Network. There are many Chinese language centers in the different universities of Armenia and the Confucius Institute is operating at the Brusov State University in Yerevan.

Armenia and China continue their cooperation and partnership based on shared history and are looking forward to achieving new heights within the BRI.

The author is chairman of the Center for Political and Economic Strategic Studies in Yerevan, Armenia. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.