China will provide$9.6 million in fresh economic assistance to Armenia next year, the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan said on Tuesday.
A ministry statement said that the Chinese ambassador to Armenia, Tian Erlong, formalized the “technical aid” allocation with an agreement signed with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Manasarian. It gave no details of the aid, saying only that it will be provided in Chinese yuans.
“The two sides are holding negotiations towards agreeing on a number of other programs,” the statement added without elaborating.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the Chinese government has supported Armenia financially on an annual basis ever since 1999. The Chinese aid totaled $37 million between 2012 and 2014. That included an $11 million grant provided by Beijing in early 2013 for the construction of a Chinese school in Yerevan and the purchase of equipment for the Armenian customs service.
Citing “friendly relations” existing between the two nations, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang promised $16 million in additional funding when he met with his then Armenian counterpart Tigran Sarkisian in Beijing later in 2013. Li said his government will also encourage Chinese businesspeople to invest in the Armenian economy and import more Armenian goods.
China has also donated hundreds of public buses and ambulance vehicles to Armenia in recent years.