China’s relationship with the South Caucasus is entering a new phase, defined by a greater economic engagement, expanding trade, and a steady elevation of political partnerships with the three regional countries—Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The region, once peripheral to Beijing’s Eurasian strategy or its sprawling Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), has now become more vital amid shifting connectivity across the continent and heightened great power competition.
Central to this shift is the growing importance of the so-called Middle Corridor—a trans-Eurasian trade route spanning from the Black Sea to Central Asia—that has gained momentum amid the wars and general instability in Ukraine and the Middle East. When Beijing unveiled the BRI more than a decade ago, the South Caucasus barely figured in its plans. At the time, the Russian route—backed by Soviet-era infrastructure and political reliability—offered a more straightforward path for China towards the European Union (EU).
Read the full article on the Observer Research Foundation.