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VI Eurasian Research on Modern China and Eurasia

December 5-6, 2025, Yerevan, Armenia

Organised by the “China-Eurasia” Council for Political and Strategic Research, Armenia, and Routledge Research in Eurasian Geopolitics Book Series

For the program, please check:

 

December 5, 2025. Registration (Artashat Hall, 10:30 Yerevan Time)

Opening Remarks (Artashat Hall, 11:00-11:15)

Assoc. Prof. Dr Mher D. Sahakyan (Founding Chair, Eurasian Research on Modern China and Eurasia Conference, Founding Director, “China-Eurasia” Council for Political and Strategic Research, Founding General Editor of Routledge Research on Eurasian Geopolitics Book Series)

Keynote Speech (Artashat Hall, 11:15-11:55)

Prof. Dr Heiwai Tang (Director of Asia Global Institute, Vice President of the University of Hong Kong)

Chair: Mher D. Sahakyan (“China-Eurasia” Council for Political and Strategic Research)

Panel 1. Eurasian Geopolitics: Multidisciplinary Perspectives and Strategic Transformations(Artashat Hall, 12:00-13:30)

Digital Crises Management: Gov-Tech, Cybersecurity and Data Driven Decision Making.

Dr Anahit Parzyan (Director, CyberZ Foundation for CyberSecurity, CyberDiplomacy and Digital Citizenship, Armenia)

The Myth and Reality of Technological Lock-in and the Energy Security Nexus: China’s Role in Eurasian Energy Geopolitics

Assoc. Prof. Dr Jessica Neafie (Nazarbayev University)

The Development of BRICS in an Era of New Multipolarity

Assoc. Prof. Dr Alexander Korolev (Higher School of Economics, Russia)

India’s Eurasian Choices in a Multipolar World Order 2.0

Srdjan Uljevic (American University of Central Asia)

The Geopolitics of Eurasian Narratives: Contested Order in Central Asia in the Age of Uncertainty

Dr. Maximilian Ohle (University of Tübingen, Germany)

Superpowers in South Caucasus and Central Asia: American and Chinese Geostrategies

Dr. Mher Sahakyan (China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research)

Chair: Yuntian Zheng (Renmin University of China)

Family Photo of Conference Speakers and Special Guests, Coffee Break (13:31-14:10)

Panel 2. Multipolar World Order 2.0: War and Security Architecture (Tushpa Hall, 14:15-15:40)

The Decline of the CSTO as a Russian-Centric Security Structure in Eurasia and the Prospects for Redressing Eurasian Regional Security Complexes

Prof. Dr. Habil. Marcin Składanowski (The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland)

Towards Conceptual Autonomy: The Genealogical Paths of Sovereignty in Russia and China

 Dr. Ksenia Radchenkova (University of Graz, Austria)

Strategic Pragmatism and Structural Asymmetry: Sino-Russian Relations in the Ukraine War, 2022–2026

Assoc. Professor Dr. Rubén Ruiz Ramas (Director, MA Program in Political Science and International Studies, National University of Distance Education, Spain)

Strategic Asymmetries and Regional Realignments: China’s Role in Eurasian Defence-Technology Cooperation

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Laura-Anca Parepa (Doshisha University, Japan)

U.S.-China Rivalry and the Strategic Role of the Organisation of Turkic States in a Multipolar Eurasia

Dr. Ahmet Faruk Isik (Shanghai International Studies University School of International Relations and Public Affairs (SIRPA) and Torino World Affairs Institute)

Shifting geopolitics in Georgia: from “Radical Europeanness” to “Georgianness”

Archil Sikharulidze (Founder, SIKHA Foundation, Georgia)

Chair: Maximilian Ohle (University of Tübingen)

Panel 3. Cybersecurity, Digitalisation, and Artificial Intelligence (Armavir Hall, 14:15-15:40)

Eurasia on the Threshold of the “Asian age”: China is a Catalyst for the Revival of Artificial Intelligence, Duality and “Silk Curtain”.

Prof. Dr. Karlygash Nugmanova (President, International Centre for Geopolitical Forecasting “East-West”, Director of the Astana Political Research Associations, Kazakhstan, Academician, International Asian Academy of Sciences, NGO)

The Eurasian Digital Divide – China’s Role in Shaping a New Era of Cyber Governance

Inês Rito(PhD Candidate, Institute of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Portugal)

Analysing the Political Economy of International Organisation Through the Lens of Digital Governance: The Case of Cyber Shield of Kazakhstan

Assist. Prof. Dr. Mergen Dyussenov (Astana IT University, Kazakhstan)

China’s Digital Sovereignty and the Geopolitics of Advanced Technologies

 Armine Arzrumanyan (American University of Armenia)

The Geopolitics of Artificial Intelligence in Eurasia: The China-Russia-West Competition

Dr. Parham Pourramezan (University of Tehran, Iran)

International Artificial Intelligence Governance: The Global South’s Challenges and China’s Role

Zhaochen Zheng (PhD Candidate, Shanghai International Studies University, China)

Chair: Anahit Parzyan (CyberZ Foundation)

Panel 4. Middle East and Eurasian Corridors (Tushpa Hall, 15:45-17:30)

Strategic Objectives and Structural Impediments: Revisiting the Middle Corridor’s Trajectory in the South Caucasus

Prof. Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan (American University of Armenia, Armenia)

Mapping Elite Perceptions of the Belt and Road Initiative in Türkiye: A Multi-Sectoral Expansion Grounded in Strategic Interactions

Prof. Dr Havva Kök Arslan (Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Üsküdar University, Türkiye), Dr. Murat Sevencan, and Assoc. Prof. Dr.  Haşmet Gökırmak (Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Türkiye).

Prof. Dr Chan Man Hung, Thomas (Director, Ng Teng Fong Sino Group Belt and Road Research Institute), Prof. Dr. Oleksandr Pidchosa (Programme Director of Master of Social Sciences in International Business Management for Belt and Road Countries), Dr. Güler Kalay (Deputy Director, Centre for Strategic Research & Application at Usküdar University, Türkiye).

The Sinews of a Eurasian Rimland Empire: Historical Continuity Between the Political Economy of Migrant Labour in Military Logistics in the British and American Imperial Projects, the Case of the West Arabian Sea

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Adrian L. Fleming (Geneva Business School and University of Barcelona) and Jovan Ilijev Ćirić (Pompeu Fabra University, Spain)

Geoeconomics and Geopolitics of China in Afghanistan: Strategic Interests and Regional Implications

Dr. Shokhruz Sharipov Fakhriddin Ugli (Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan)

Countering US Hegemony? Sino–Iranian Cooperation in the Persian Gulf

Dr. Selma İmamoğlu (Atatürk University, Türkiye)

Iranian Nuclear Strategy: Between ‘Sacred Defence’, Strategic Loneliness and The Prospect of International Reintegration

Dr. Ioana Constantin-Bercean(University of Bucharest, Romania)

Israel’s Multidimensional Strategy in the Levant (2018–2025): Rivalries with Türkiye and Iran

Vladimir Ruzhansky (Director, International Research Centre for the Study of Israel, Judaism, and the Jewish Diaspora)

Chair: Tamas Dudlak (University of Pécs)

Panel 5. The Belt and Road Initiative, the TRIPP, and Geopolitics of Eurasian Infrastructure (Armavir Hall, 15:45-17:30)

The TRIPP: New Opportunity for the Development of Trade Relations between Armenia and China

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suren H. Parsyan (Armenian State University of Economics, Armenia)

Why is the Belt and Road Initiative China’s Grand Strategy?

Chaoting Cheng (PhD Candidate, Free University Berlin, Germany)

Explaining the Belt and Road Initiative: A Case Study of the New Eurasian Land Bridge Economic Corridor

Chris Wensink (Political Analyst and Transport Expert, Netherlands)

Geopolitical Implications of CPEC 2.0 and Pakistan’s Evolving Role in Eurasian Digital Connectivity

Tiago Botelho dos Santos (PhD Candidate, Centro de Estudos Internacionais – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, and the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre) and Assist Prof. Dr Cátia Miriam Costa (Centro de Estudos Internacionais – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal)

The Middle Corridor as a Platform of Regional Integration for Middle Powers

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Norayr Dunamalyan (Russian-Armenian University, Armenia)

Current Issues of New Cross-Border Corridors and Routes

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zaruhi Melkumyan (Armenian State University of Economics, Armenia)

Chair: Dai Yulong (ShanghaiTech University)

Reception-Networking (17:30-19:30)

December 6, 2025. Registration (Tarson Hall, 09:30)

Panel 6. Geoeconomics and Eurasian International Institutions (Tarson Hall, 9:50-11:15)

Geoeconomic Resilience Index of Eurasian Countries

Prof. Dr. Vardan Atoyan (Head, Center for Social & Behavioral Research, Armenian State University of Economics, Armenia) and Dr Diana Matevosyan (Senior Researcher, Armenian State University of Economics, Armenia)

Innovative Operations in the Global South: Comparative Perspectives of Italian and Chinese Intervention in Africa

Adj. Prof. Dr. Giorgio Caridi (E-Campus University, Italy; ICES – Catholic Institute of Higher Studies, France)

From Eurasia to the Global South: China’s Transregional Strategy through the BRICS

Ilham Mounssif (PhD Candidate, University of Cagliari, Italy)

From Eurasian to Global: Explaining the Expansion of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Matteo Cianforlini (PhD Candidate, University of Bologna, Italy)

Why States Join Institutions with Chinese Characteristics

Sheewon Min (Doctor of Philosophy Student, University of Oxford)

Critical Minerals and Institutional Response: Russia’s Strategic Behaviour in a Reshaping Global Order

Yuan Meng (PhD Candidate, Shanghai International Studies University, China)

Chair: Jessica Neafie (Nazarbayev University)

Panel 7. South Caucasus in Eurasian Geopolitics (Tarson Hall, 11:20-12:45) 

Condition, Issues and Features on South Caucasian Geopolitics Studies of Chinese Academia

Prof. Dr. Yuntian Zheng (Director of the World Socialism Research Institute, School of International Studies, Renmin University of China, China)

Fragile Identities, Weaponised Narratives: Armenia in the Crossroads of Hybrid Warfare

Dr. Gevorg Melikyan (Founding Director, The Armenian Institute for Resilience and Statecraft, Armenia)

Armenia as an Infrastructure Hub in the South Caucasus: Opportunities and Emerging Challenges

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hermine Gh. Hakobyan (Armenian State University of Economics, Armenia)

A Comparative Study of the European Union and Russia’s Governance Model Exports to Eurasian Periphery States: The Case of the South Caucasus

Jiajun Zhang (PhD Candidate, Shanghai International Studies University, China)

Can Russia and Türkiye escape Thucydides’s Trap?

Dr. Péter Pál Kránitz (Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Hungary) 

Armenia’s Strategic Choices among Connectivity Initiatives in the South Caucasus: A Small-State Perspective

Maria Ohanyan (PhD student, Institute of Philosophy, Sociology, and Law, National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia)  

Chair: Havva Kök Arslan (Üsküdar University)

Coffee Break (12:50-13:20)

Panel 8. Central Asia in Eurasian Geopolitics (Tarson Hall, 13:25-14:45)

China’s Perspectives on Central Asia: Analysing the Evolution of Bilateral Relations through Political Discourse

Patrícia Marrafa (Scientific and Cultural Center of Macau, Portugal) and Dr. Diogo Borges (Scientific and Cultural Center of Macau, Portugal)

Geopolitical Issues and Opportunities for the Kyrgyz Republic in cooperation with China within the Belt and Road Initiative

Dr. Jildiz Nicharapova (American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan)

Narrating Friendship through Divergent Civilizational Lenses: Central Asia and the Discursive Boundaries of the Sino–Russian “Friendship”

Jiate Wang (Incoming MPhil/PhD Candidate, King’s College London)

Rerouting Energy: China’s Oil and Gas Cooperation with Central Asia and North Africa in a Changing Eurasian Order

Ma Yani (PhD Student, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan)

Social Modernisation and Vulnerability: Subjective Perceptions of the “Socially Vulnerable Groups” Category in Contemporary Kazakhstan

Dr. Nurlan Baigabylov (L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan), Almash Aikynbaikyzy (L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Kazakhstan), and Ilyas Tileubergenov (Social Prosperity Advisory, Kazakhstan)

Chair: Mher D. Sahakyan

Panel 9. Geopolitical Connection of the South, Southeast, West, and East Asia (Tarson Hall, 14:50-16:05)

Seeking a Breakthrough in the South China Sea Disputes: Comparing the Paths for Resolving Disputes between China and Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia

Dr. Dai Yulong (ShanghaiTech University, China)

India-Middle East Economic Corridor and the US Role in Shaping the New Regional Balance of Power in the Middle East

Yeghia Tashjian (Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon)

The South Asian–South Caucasus Nexus: Iran’s Role in India-Armenia Relations

Farzan Safari Sabet (PhD Candidate, University of Tehran, Iran)

The Obstacle on the Path to More Stable East Asia: South Korean Strategic Culture and The Japanese Occupation of Korea

David Plášek (PhD Candidate, Charles University in Prague)

Diana Apcar: The Life and Legacy of the First Armenian Woman Honorary Consul in Japan

Dr. Anna Vardanyan (Armenian State University of Economics and Co-Founder, President, “Arumenia-Nippon” Armenian-Japanese Scientific and Cultural Union NGO)

Chair: Alexander Korolev (Higher School of Economics)

Panel 10. Europe in Eurasian Geopolitics (Tarson Hall, 16:10-17:35)

Hungary’s Role as a Keystone State and the Narrative of Global Connectivity

Dr. Tamas Dudlak (University of Pécs, Hungary)

The EU’s Strategic Autonomy: The Impact of the Concept on Relations with China

Lolita Koroleva (Higher School of Economics, Russia)

The Strategic Evolution of the Czech Republic’s Policy Towards Russia and its Geopolitical Implications Since the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Rui Yang (Lecturer, PhD Candidate, Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, Shanghai International Studies University, China)

China Reflected in the Romanian Public Discourse in 2025

Dr. Marcela Ganea (Belt and Road Initiative Research Lab in Bucharest, Romania)

Beyond Transition: Comparative Lessons from Anti-Corruption Reforms in Albania and Georgia

Jetnor Kasmi (PhD Candidate, University of Duisburg-Essen)

Subnational Fissures in Eurasia: Geopolitics of City Diplomacy Networks of Ukraine and Russia after 2022 and its Implications for China

Fedor Zolotarev (PhD Student, University of Pécs, Hungary)

Chair: Gevorg Melikyan (The Armenian Institute for Resilience and Statecraft, Armenia)

Closing Remarks 17:40

Mher D. Sahakyan and colleagues

Reception-Networking Event (18:00)

Dress Code: Business attire or national dress.

Working language: English

Facebook Page:

Conference Website:

Twitter: @ChinaEurasiaCO

Email: info@chinastan.org

Registration

This event is strictly by invitation, and the invitation cannot be transferred. If you would like to register or have any questions, please reach out to us via email at info@chinastan.org.

For Reading Our Publications

Routledge Handbook of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Eurasia (2025)

Routledge Handbook of Chinese and Eurasian International Relations (2024) 

China and Eurasian Powers in Multipolar World Order 2.0 Security, Diplomacy, Economy and Cyberspace (2023)

China and Eurasia: Rethinking Cooperation and Contradictions in the Era of Changing World Order  (2021)