Delegation led by Shanghai University professor hosted at YSU

Professor Changgang Guo, Director of the Center for Global Studies at Shanghai University, emphasized his close collaboration with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences—one of China’s largest and most prominent institutions in the field of social sciences. He expressed hope that effective cooperation will be established with YSU, particularly with the university’s Faculty of International Relations.     

Yang Chen from the Center for Turkic Studies at Shanghai University noted that his research over the past decade has primarily focused on Turkic studies, Middle East studies, and China-Middle East relations. "I would like to expand the scope of my research to include Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the entire Caucasus region," he stated.    

He underlined their intention to contribute to the dissemination of knowledge on Armenian studies in China, pointing out that information about Armenian studies, foreign history, politics, and foreign policy remains limited in Chinese academic circles.   

Du Donghui, another representative from the Center for Global Studies at Shanghai University, highlighted that an exclusive focus on Turkish studies may lead to a Turkic-centric perspective, which could result in seeing regional affairs solely through a Turkish lens. "In my view, this approach fosters an incomplete and inaccurate understanding. It is essential to learn Armenian perspectives, particularly those shaped by lived cultural experiences. That is why I am here today—to learn from you," he remarked.     

Dean of YSU Faculty of International Relations, Tigran Yepremyan, provided the guests with an overview of Armenian history, including key events during the Soviet era and the signing of several historically unfavorable treaties. He also addressed the forced displacement of the indigenous Armenian population from Nakhichevan and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in these regions.  

Members of the Shanghai University delegation engaged in discussions with the academic staff of the Faculty of International Relations regarding Armenia’s current foreign policy and the development of its relations with neighboring countries, particularly Azerbaijan. 

As a symbolic gesture, Professor Changgang Guo presented YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan with a tri-colored statuette of a horse crafted in the style of the Tang Dynasty. "In Chinese culture, the horse is a symbol of success. There is a traditional saying that associates the arrival of a horse with the coming of success. This gift symbolizes our hopes for the success of our cooperation," he stated.     

The statuette has been entrusted to YSU History Museum named after Professor Ludwig Gharibjanyan.