On June 1, 2021, the Acting RA Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Armenia Fan Yong.

While welcoming Ambassador Fan Yong, Vahan Kerobyan stressed the importance of intensification and expansion of trade and economic collaboration between Armenia and China, taking into account the existing untapped potential for cooperation.

The Acting Minister of Economy informed the Chinese Ambassador about several new initiatives and invited Chinese companies to participate in implementation of these projects, particularly, in technical design, construction, and operation activities of the innovation city on the Yerevan-Gyumri highway, as well as in activities of construction and launching of industrial parks in Ararat, Meghri, and Gyumri. The Acting Minister also suggested considering the possibility of joint realization of a project in Armenia that is similar to the “Big Stone” industrial park built near Minsk.

In the context of reforms envisioned in the field of agriculture, Vahan Kerobyan referred to the necessity of establishing a unified irrigation system in Armenia and discussed the possibilities of its joint implementation. As a result of the launch of the unified irrigation system, the efficiency of agricultural works will significantly increase.

During the meeting, the interlocutors also referred to the possibilities of resumption of chemical production and development of metallurgy in Armenia.

Both sides stressed the necessity of launching direct flights between Armenia and China, which will facilitate the cargo transportation between the two countries and will contribute to the increase of tourism flows. In this regard, Vahan Kerobyan expressed the readiness of the Armenian government to subsidize such flights, if necessary.

Ambassador Fan Yong informed that in 2020 the Chinese side planned to deploy a group of specialists to Armenia to study the possibilities of launching direct flights, which, however, did not happen due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Ambassador expressed the readiness of the Chinese side to resume discussions on this issue’s settlement. He, too, stressed the importance of strengthening the economic ties and mutually beneficial cooperation, noting that the Chinese side is interested to participate in implementation of the projects presented during the meeting, and asked for more detailed information packages to be provided on these projects.

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed readiness to promote development of the Armenian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation within the limits of their powers.