The Center for Transcaucasian Studies is a country and regional research center filed with the Ministry of Education of China. It was established in March 2018. In accordance with the requirements of national development strategies, the Center studies hot issues, international relations, economic development, regional security, non-traditional security, territorial disputes and other areas in the three Transcaucasian countries, namely Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the relations between China and the three countries, so as to provide advisory services for relevant national departments in formulating foreign exchange and foreign policies.
The center has a 10-member expert committee chaired by Professor Guan Yuhong. All members have long been engaged in research on Russian-speaking countries, possess a solid and profound command of the Russian language, and have established strong relationships with the embassies and universities of these three countries in China. The center is committed to pursuing a distinctive development path, continuously innovating its work philosophy, models, and methods to build its unique characteristics, and closely following the trends of global development.
As of now, the center has undertaken two research projects on country and regional studies commissioned by the Ministry of Education (one of which is still in progress), one later-stage funding project for social sciences under the Ministry of Education, and one project from the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under the Ministry of Education. It has published three monographs, two translated works, ten research papers, and one policy advisory report that has been adopted. Members of the center regularly participate in exchange meetings and academic annual conferences organized by the Secretariat for Country and Regional Studies, and have attended various related academic conferences on multiple occasions.
The center places great emphasis on cultivating and enhancing the research and teaching capabilities of its faculty, encouraging and guiding them to shift their research focus from the original areas of Russian language and literature, linguistics, and translation to the study of country and regional issues. In 2023, it was awarded the Beijing Language and Culture University's first-class discipline team project titled "Sino-Russian Cultural Exchange and Mutual Learning of Civilizations in the New Era," which has initially established the disciplinary feature of "Society and Culture of Russian-Speaking Countries."
Since its establishment, the center has seen three master's graduates successfully advance to pursue doctoral degrees in Regional and Country Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing Language and Culture University, and Moscow State University. Additionally, five undergraduate graduates have enrolled in master's programs in Regional and Country Studies at Tsinghua University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Shanghai International Studies University. Starting in 2023, the center has begun admitting doctoral students.
