Armenian Academics Advanced Cross-Cultural Dialogue at Binzhou Conference on South Caucasus-China Relations

The academic conference "From the South Caucasus to China: Historical Legacy and Modern Economic-Cultural Integration" opened new avenues for scholarly collaboration during its April 26 convening at Shandong University of Aeronautics. Armenian diplomatic leadership featured prominently, with Mr. Koryun Ghazaryan (Economic and Trade Attaché) and Mr. Harutyun Hayrapetyan (First Secretary) of the Armenian Embassy to China, as well as the former Ambassador Mr. Manassarian, underscoring Armenia’s commitment to academic diplomacy. They were joined by H.E. Archil Kalandadze, Ambassador of Georgia to China, symbolizing the regional spirit of cooperation. Chinese perspectives were represented by Yu Hongjun, former Chinese ambassador to Uzbekistan, and Sun Yebao of Shandong Province’s Foreign Affairs Office, alongside university leadership including Party Secretary Professor Li Changhai.

Armenian researchers delivered landmark presentations: Dr. Ani Margaryan (Soochow University) illuminated the Armenian mercantile class’s understudied role in art patronage, while Anna Adamyan (Nanjing University) reinterpreted the Armenian Cosmic Tree’s cross-cultural significance. These interventions sparked substantive dialogue with Chinese academics on shared historical narratives and contemporary economic synergies. The conference’s outcomes—including planned joint publications and faculty exchanges—demonstrate how academic diplomacy can bridge the South Caucasus and China through rigorous scholarship and institutional partnership.