On February 26, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that the Chinese Government had made a decision to introduce visa-free travel to the country for Georgian citizens.
He noted that Georgian nationals would be able to stay in China without a visa for up to 30 days.
“China has decided to introduce visa-free travel for Georgian citizens. Citizens of Georgia will be able to spend 30 consecutive days in China without a visa. This is an important decision that will make it easier for our fellow citizens to travel to China, and one that will create new opportunities for further development of political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries,” the PM said, highlighting that the decision was “another important practical result” of the strategic partnership agreement signed between the two states last year.
Georgia’s Vice Prime Minister, Levan Davitashvili, also spoke positively of the news.
“Our citizens will be given the opportunity to travel to China without any barriers, and this will promote relations between the countries. First of all, it will be very important from the point of view of trade and economy, because China is an important trade partner for Georgia. Many citizens have been traveling to China for economic relations, but it was not easy. Visa-free travel will make this process easier,” Davitashvili said.
Earlier, on February 23, PM Kobakhidze, at a press conference held in the Administration of the Government of Georgia, reminded those present that Georgia had signed a free trade agreement with China which contributed to the development of trade and economic relations.
“We see great interest from China in deepening relations, which is also reflected in daily steps. For example, we have very active trade and economic relations. Chinese companies are very actively involved in economic relations in order to properly implement relevant projects,” Kobakhidze said.
In January, Davitashvili highlighted that, along with the challenges, there are many opportunities in the world that can be taken advantage of by countries only through cooperation, and that Georgia “is part of this trend.” He said that the Georgian authorities had correctly assessed the situation when they started talking about prospective economic cooperation with China, and emphasized that China is a strategic partner of Georgia, and the dialogue between the countries is ongoing on the implementation of very important, strategic projects, in which Chinese business can play an important role in boosting Georgia’s economy.
“At the Davos Economic Forum this year, the Chinese delegation was represented at the highest level, under the leadership of their Prime Minister. This emphasizes that the world needs more cooperation to overcome global challenges, and it is impossible to talk about overcoming said challenges without the participation of China,” Davitashvili claimed.
At the end of December, an agreement was signed between the Government of Georgia and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on international road transportation of passengers and cargo, which provides for the exchange of bilateral and transit transportation quotas for carriers registered in both Georgia and the People’s Republic of China.
According to the data of the 10th month of 2023, approximately 528.9 thousand tons were transported between Georgia and China by road/sea transport, which is 4.1% more than the same period of 2022. The development of direct road traffic will help to further increase the mentioned indicators.
In the summer of 2023, the Georgian Government Administration released a joint statement on the establishment of a strategic partnership between Georgia and China. The document comprises four domains: Political, economic, people-to-people/cultural, and international and was agreed on with then-PM Irakli Garibashvili, at the opening ceremony of the 31st Chengdu FISU World University Games in China.
During the visit, President Xi Jinping met with Garibashvili in Chengdu, and Premier Li Qiang met with him in Beijing.
Both sides are said to share the view that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on June 9, 1992, bilateral cooperation has witnessed fruitful results in various fields. In the context of profound and complex evolution of the international and regional situation, both sides share the commitment to expanding cooperation in the political, economic and cultural fields, strengthening collaboration in international affairs, deepening bilateral relations, and safeguarding regional and world peace, stability and development together.
“While everyone else tries to become more economically independent from China, Georgia again takes another turn. Helping Russia with circumventing the sanctions, deepening the economic ties with China, that all looks like the right turn towards Europe/EU … *irony off*”, MEP Viola Von Cramon tweeted after the announcement.
“China and Georgia are independent countries, we have the right to make a choice as to who is our partner, who is our strategic partner,” Ambassador of China to Georgia Zhou Qian said. “China and the EU have a comprehensive strategic partnership, and my personal view is that without China and the EU, there will be no success for the Middle Corridor, because what’s important for the Middle Corridor is the logistics between China and the EU; manufacturing power and goods power from China ending up in consumer markets. It means that without support from China and the EU, there would be no success for the Middle Corridor.”
By Team GT
