Foreign relations exist between Armenia and China. The first references to Armenian-Chinese contact are found in the works of 5th-century historian Moses of Chorene and 6th-century geographer and mathematician Anania Shirakatsi. The People's Republic of China officially recognized Armenia on December 27, 1991. Diplomatic relations between Armenia and the People's Republic of China were established on April 6, 1992. The Embassy of China to Armenia was established in July 1992, while the Embassy of Armenia to China started its activities on August 10, 1996. The Armenian Ambassador to China resides in the Beijing embassy. Presidents of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan visited the P.R. of China in May 1996 and September 2004. President Serzh Sargsyan was in China in May 2010 to participate in the opening ceremony of the "Shanghai World Expo 2010". High-level visits from China to Armenia included members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Luo Gan, in September 2003, and Li Changchun, in April 2011. History The first relations between the Armenian and Chinese people can be traced back to around AD 1000. In Chinese, “Armenia” is pronounced “Ya-mei-ni-ya.” These four characters literally mean “the beautiful maid of Asia.” In Armenian legends and fairy tales, China is called the country of Chenes, Chinumachin, or Chinastan. Some ancient Armenian literary works have traces of Chinese cultural icons. For example, there are qilin, fenghuang and dharmachakra designs in the Armenian Bible. Armenians visited China for trade and imported silk, porcelain, jade, embroidered fabrics and other goods to bring back to Armenia via the Silk Road. In China, there was high demand for Armenian medicine, vegetables, mineral paints, and insects, especially the Armenian cochineal, which was used to dye the best Chinese and Indian silks. The Chinese porcelains and celadonite that were discovered during archeological excavations of the Armenian cities of Garni, Dvin, Ani, and the Amberd fortress are evidence of early-medieval Armenian-Chinese economic trade. Movses Khorenatsi, Anania Shirakatsi, Stepanos Orbelian, and King Hethum I of Armenia wrote about China, Chinese culture, and the Chinese people. During the time of the Mongol Empire, the relations between Armenia and China were furthered. Many Armenians began to settle in China. In 1688 the British East India Company agreed to permit Armenians access to Chinese maritime trade. The Armenians made full usage of this agreement with the British established maritime trade hubs in Shanghai and Macao. On 27