Yerevan, Armenia, and Hong Kong, November 1, 2023 – The Armenian China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research and Hong Kong Baptist University’s David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies have officially entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), solidifying their commitment to mutual cooperation.

The MOU was signed by Dr. Mher Sahakyan, Founding Director of the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research, and Prof. Daniel W.L. Lai, Dean and chair Professor of Social Sciences at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University.

This strategic collaboration, effective from November 1, 2023, outlines key objectives, including:

• Exchange of academic information and publications
• Expert meetings and consultations
• Joint conferences, seminars, courses, and events
• Collaborative research projects and publication preparations
• Facilitating staff and student exchanges

The initial interaction between the two institutions occurred on October 27, 2022, when Dr. Mher Sahakyan was participating  in AsiaGlobal Fellowship at the University of Hong Kong.  As a result he delivered a lecture at the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies at the invitation of its director, Dr. Kevin Lo. During this meeting, both parties expressed their commitment to enhancing cooperation between the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research and the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies through joint research and academic exchanges.

Dr. Mher Sahakyan expressed his gratitude to Dr. Lo, recognizing his pivotal role in facilitating the successful MOU. He emphasized that establishing a long-term partnership with the David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies, an esteemed research center, is a significant milestone for the China-Eurasia Council for Political and Strategic Research. Dr. Sahakyan highlighted the achievements of their recent collaboration, including a joint seminar at Hong Kong Baptist University attended by over 58 participants and their joint contribution to the forthcoming book, Routledge Handbook of Chinese and Eurasian International Relations, set to be published by Routledge, the world’s largest publisher of scholarly works in humanities and social sciences. Dr. Sahakyan expressed optimism that the MOU would pave the way for enhanced cooperation and fruitful outcomes in the future.

Dr. Lo welcomed the partnership and said: It is our great pleasure to partner with the Armenian China-Eurasia Council, a research center with an exceptional track record in international policy research, particularly in the realm of China-Eurasia relations. Under the MoU, LEWI and the Armenian China-Eurasia Council will explore different collaboration activities, including conducting joint conferences, seminars, and courses, the implementation of joint research projects and preparation of publications, and the facilitation of staff and student exchange. The MoU will significantly enhance LEWI’s research profile in the field of global China studies. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Mher Sahakyan for his invaluable contribution to our partnership and look forward to the positive outcomes that will emerge from our joint efforts.