Monday, September 1 2025 10:58

ArmInfo. Below is a statement by the Republic of Armenia and the People's Republic of China on the establishment of strategic relations. 

The Republic of Armenia and the People's Republic of China  (hereinafter referred to as the "Parties") based on the centuries-old  friendship between the two peoples, sharing a common view that since  the establishment of diplomatic relations on April 6, 1992, bilateral  relations have been developing dynamically, and the cooperation  between the two countries has reached positive results in various  fields, fully committed to expanding cooperation in the political,  economic, cultural and social fields, as well as in international  affairs and in promoting regional and global peace and stability,  have reached an agreement to establish a strategic partnership,  whilst continuing to be guided by the fundamental principles of  bilateral relations, characterized by equality, mutual respect and  trust, as well as mutually beneficial cooperation.

POLITICAL DIALOGUE 

The Parties are guided by the principles of peaceful coexistence:  mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,  non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, equality and  mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.  

The Parties respect the development paths chosen by the other side in  accordance with national characteristics and independent  decision-making in bilateral relations policy. The Parties act as  reliable partners for one another, refrain from actions that harm the  sovereignty, security and development interests of the other side, or  any actions that violate the mutual trust between the two countries  and friendship between the peoples.

  The Armenian side confirms its position in support of the one-China  principle, recognizing that there is but one China in the world and  Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and that the  Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal  government representing the whole of China; firmly opposes any form  of "Taiwan independence" and supports the efforts being made by China  towards the national reunification.  

The Chinese side confirms its firm support for the political  independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of  borders of the Republic of Armenia. China supports the peace agenda  proposed by the Armenian side, and welcomes the "Crossroads of Peace"   initiative.  

The Parties believe that geopolitical intrigues aimed at supporting  confrontation will serve no purpose, and jointly oppose any steps  that destabilize the region and provoke a new escalation.

    The Parties express their readiness to strengthen high-level  political dialogue, to convene regular political consultations  between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, and  to expand communication between central and local authorities, as  well as between political parties for the purpose of exchanging  experience and strengthening collaboration.  

The Parties attach great importance to the further cooperation  between the legislative bodies of the two countries and emphasize the  importance of parliamentary diplomacy in fostering bilateral  political dialogue.  

The Parties emphasize the need to further develop communication  mechanisms between the governments of the two countries to exchange  views on development and security issues.  

The Parties are ready to strengthen cooperation and exchange in the  legal and judicial spheres, based on equality, mutual benefit and  mutual respect.  

The Parties express their readiness to strengthen law enforcement and  security cooperation, to exert joint efforts toward countering  terrorism, separatism, extremism, cybercrime and other types of  transnational crimes.  

The Parties will continue to enhance interregional cooperation.  The  Parties will continue to enrich the political and treaty-based legal  frameworks for deepening cooperation in different spheres.

ECONOMY, TRADE, INVESTMENTS AND TOURISM

The Parties welcome the steady growth of bilateral trade in recent  years and express their readiness to make efforts for its further  increase, including efforts aimed at stimulating the export of  Armenian products and their entry into the Chinese market, as well as  attracting investments of Chinese companies to Armenia. Armenia  welcomes the participation of Chinese companies in infrastructure  projects in Armenia.  

The Parties express their willingness to strengthen exchanges and  cooperation with the aim of expanding the trade and investment  potential in such areas as infrastructure, information technologies,  renewable energy sources, agriculture, industry, etc.  

The Parties recognize the essential role of the Intergovernmental  Commission on Economic Cooperation in the further development of  trade and economic relations between Armenia and China and express  their readiness to continue regularly holding sessions of the  Commission and employing efforts for the comprehensive implementation  of its decisions, for the purpose of which both sides are raising the  level of the Co-Chairs of the Commission.  

China welcomes Armenia's active participation in the China  International Import Expo, China Import and Export Fair, the China  International Fair for Trade in Services, the Global Digital Trade  Expo, the China International Consumer Products Expo, the China  International Small and Medium Enterprises Expo, the China  International Fair for Investment and Trade and other major  exhibitions. The Chinese side supports the Armenian side in using  online platforms for the promotion and sale of high-quality goods.  Armenia also welcomes the active participation of the Chinese side in  international exhibitions and fairs held in Armenia, including the  Expo Food and Drinks, the ArmProd EXPO, the Build EXPO, the  Industrial Armenia EXPO, the DigiTec Expo, the ArmHighTech  Exhibition, etc.  

The Parties express their readiness to further increase mutual  investments to strengthen cooperation in such areas as industry,  information and telecommunications, agriculture, energy, etc., to  promote high-quality cooperation.  

The Parties express their readiness to discuss the improvement of the  treaty-based legal framework pertinent to the trade and economic  field, and actively study the possibility of creating an  institutional mechanism for the liberalization and facilitation of  trade and investment procedures. The Parties reaffirm their firm  position on defending the multilateral trading system with the WTO at  the core, and support the integration of the Investment Facilitation  for Development (IFD) Agreement into the legal structure of the WTO.  

The Parties express their readiness to deepen development cooperation  and work out opportunities to implement more small and beautiful  social projects in Armenia. Armenia expresses its gratitude to China  for continuous technical assistance, including projects on human  resources development.  

The Parties express their readiness to strengthen cooperation in the  field of tourism. In particular, the Parties highly appreciate the  visa-free regime between the two countries, which significantly  stimulates tourism, enhances people-to-people contacts, and expands  economic, social and cultural ties. The Parties agree that the  implementation of direct flights between the two countries serves as  an additional incentive to tourism cooperation. China welcomes  Armenia's participation in the annual China International Travel Mart  (CITM) and other tourism exhibitions.

SECTORAL COOPERATION

The Parties express interest in promoting mutually beneficial  cooperation in the fields of science and technology, education, and  language exchanges. The Parties consider it as an important aspect of  promoting cultural exchange and dialogue to teach and popularize the  Armenian and Chinese languages in each other's educational  institutions including the Confucius Institute in Armenia. The  Parties will discuss strengthening cooperation in such areas as  digital education and vocational education. The Parties actively  support the translation and publication of each other's classic  works.  

The Parties express their readiness to actively facilitate exchanges  between research institutes, strengthen mutually beneficial  cooperation in the field of science and technology, promote the  application of technological achievements, and bring about new  progress in their scientific and technological cooperation.  

The Parties emphasize the importance of cooperation in the fields of  information technology, innovation and artificial intelligence, and  express their readiness to promote the establishment of incubation  centers, science and technology parks, innovation centers and joint  research centers, with Armenia's "Engineering City" and "Academic  City" projects as possible platforms for cooperation.  

The Parties agree to enhance cooperation in culture, make active  efforts to organize Culture Days and other events on a mutual basis.  The Parties express their readiness to conduct cooperation in  preserving cultural relics and carrying forward cultural heritage,  and step up collaboration under the framework of the Ancient  Civilization Forum. Being ancient civilizations and active  participants of the Forum, the Parties stand ready to actively  conduct cooperation under the framework of the Forum.  

The Parties express their readiness to deepen cooperation in health,  employment, social security, sports and youth, and strengthen  exchanges in fields including film, media and think tanks.  

The Parties support further facilitating personnel exchanges.  

The Parties regard digitalization and digital transformation as a  priority area in bilateral cooperation, and stand ready to implement  joint projects for the introduction of modern technologies. The  Parties also express interest in the exchange of experience in fields  including cybersecurity and combating hybrid threats.  

The Parties agree that further deepening cooperation in  transportation and enhancing transportation facilitation, on the  basis of respect for national sovereignty and national jurisdiction,  equality, and reciprocity, is conducive to improving regional  interconnectivity and promoting economic and trade development.

GLOBAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

The Parties stay committed to defending the UN-centered international  system, the international order based on international law, and the  basic norms of international relations underpinned by the purposes  and principles of the UN Charter. The Parties stand ready to continue  to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the UN, support  each other in playing a greater role in international and regional  affairs, join hands in promoting an equal and orderly multipolar  world and a mutually beneficial and inclusive economic globalization,  and jointly promote the building of a new type of international  relations and a community with a shared future for humanity. The  Parties believe that all human rights are universal, indivisible,  interdependent and interconnected. The promotion and protection of  human rights must observe the purposes and principles of the UN  Charter as well as international law.  

The Parties reiterate that the right to development, as a universal  and inalienable right, is an integral part of human rights. The  Parties stand ready to promote effective international collaboration  in order to realize the right to development and eliminate obstacles  hindering development.  

The Armenian side welcomes the Global Development Initiative, the  Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative  proposed by the Chinese side, and in particular, such concepts as  respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all  countries, supporting the purposes and principles of the UN Charter  and the peaceful settlement of all disputes through dialogue,  prioritizing development, putting the people front and center,  unleashing the power of innovation, alleviating poverty, addressing  climate change, and promoting green development.  The Parties express  their readiness to accelerate the implementation of the UN 2030  Agenda for Sustainable Development, jointly safeguard international  and regional security and stability, and promote exchanges and mutual  learning among civilizations.  

The Parties will strengthen policy coordination as well as the  synergy between development plans within the framework of the Belt  and Road Initiative (BRI), and bring their Belt and Road cooperation  to a new stage of high-quality development, for the benefit of the  two countries and their peoples. Armenia, as one of the first  countries to participate in Belt and Road cooperation, stands ready  to work with China to actively promote the implementation of relevant  cooperation projects under the BRI and the "Crossroads of Peace"  initiative, and ensure the safe and successful progress of these  projects.  

The Chinese side welcomes the Armenian side's desire to strengthen  cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and  supports the Armenian side in improving its legal status in the SCO.  

The Armenian side supports the fundamental principles of the SCO,  such as mutual respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial  integrity, non-violation of national borders, mutual non-aggression,  non-interference in internal affairs, and non-use of force or threat  of its use in international relations. These principles are also an  integral part of Armenia's peace agenda and conducive to long-term  peace and stability in the South Caucasus.  

The Chinese side welcomes Armenia's membership in the Asian  Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and stands ready to deepen  cooperation with the Armenian side within the framework of the AIIB  and jointly support the AIIB in better serving its developing  members' demands for infrastructure construction and sustainable  development.