Armenia has signed a “strategic partnership” agreement with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of the PRC.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan signed the partnership agreement today after travelling to China to attend the 25th Heads of State Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which will be held from August 31 to September 1, 2025, in Tianjin, China.

Pashinyan and PRC President Xi Jinping met today prior to the signing of the partnership agreement that aims to develop further trade and economic cooperation between the two countries and to facilitate high-level political dialog between Yerevan and Beijing. 

The agreement reads: “The Armenian side confirms its position in support of the one-China principle, recognizing that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China; firmly opposes any form of Taiwan independence and supports the efforts being made by China towards the national reunification.”

In return, the PRC  “Confirms its firm support for the political independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of borders of the Republic of Armenia. China supports the peace agenda proposed by the Armenian side and welcomes the Crossroads of Peace initiative.”

The SCO, headquartered in Beijing, is an Eurasian political, economic and international security organization of ten member states – PRC, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus. Armenia and Azerbaijan are two of the SCO’s fourteen dialog partners. 

The partnership agreement says Armenia and the PRC are ready to strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation in the fight against terrorism, separatism, and cybercrime.

To spur tourism, Armenia and the PRC want to establish direct flights between the two countries.

Other sectors for greater Armenia-PRC cooperation includes the sciences, culture, IT/AI, agriculture, and energy.

Pashinyan, according to his office, reaffirmed Armenia’s wish to join the SCO as a full member.

The SCO is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population.