China’s Foreign-Policy Strategy in the South Caucasus—a Transit Window to Europe?

Abstract

The article discusses the significance of the South Caucasus for China’s foreign economic strategy in terms of transcontinental communications and analyzes the role of the China factor in this region in the post-Soviet period. The authors examine the development and peculiarities of the infrastructure and transportation projects, as well as bilateral cooperation in implementing trade, economic, investment, and humanitarian projects with three South Caucasian countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. One of the key projects is the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) which is to become part of the Great Silk Road currently under construction as part of the global Belt and Road Initiative. The geopolitical Ukraine crisis of 2022 and Russia’s special military operation (SMO), which has interrupted many transport communications between Russia and the EU countries, has objectively increased the importance of southern bypass transport corridors for China. The priority of this region for China’s foreign economic strategy is extremely relevant today and will remain so in the future.