CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 71

BENIAMIN MAILYAN
respects an attractive partner. For the first three quarters of 2014, China
carried out direct investments to Georgia in the amount of $157 million. 22 As
a result, the Celestial Empire became a major investor in the country.
Chinese companies have carried out a number of important construction
projects. Among the most successful are the Pankisi Gorge HPP «Kaduli»
and wood-processing plant near Zugdidi built in 2004. 23 Georgian
businessmen took part in the success of the international fair “China-
Eurasia”, which opened in September 2012 in Urumqi (Xinjiang). The
President of the Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, K. Baindurashvili, noted
that the Chinese market is becoming increasingly important, and Georgian
exporters need to do a lot to be able to continue to work on it. 24 The
Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Georgia, Liu Bo, reported in an
interview with “The Financial” that over the next few years, China expects
to invest about $1.7 billion in Georgia. According to him, “Georgian wine
has huge potential in China. In 2011, it exported 580 thousand bottles of
wine, a growing number of Georgian companies, who want to investigate the
Chinese market”. 25
In December 2013, the “On economic and technical cooperation”
agreement was formalized between the governments of Georgia and China.
The document was signed by Nodar Khaduri, Georgia’s Finance Minister,
and the Chinese ambassador to Georgia, Yue Bin. The Chinese Government
pledged to provide about 4.9 million US dollars according to the
agreement. 26 “The dynamics of bilateral cooperation between China and
Georgia – as claimed by the Georgian Ambassador to China David Aptsiauri
– is developing rapidly. It is important to note the visit of the Minister of
Agriculture Han Changfu to Georgia in May [2015]. It was the first visit of
the representative of the Chinese Government that ranks not only in Georgia
but also in the South Caucasus. It signed a document on joint action plan in
22
”Gruzino-kitajskie otnošenija razvivajutsja stabilno”, (in Russian), [“Georgian-Chinese
relations are developing steadily”], Svobodnaya.info, Desember 20, 2014,
http://svobodnaya.info/index.php?
option=comcontent&view=article&id=6485:lr&catid=42:politics&Itemid=85VVzEQbmqqko
(accessed April 3, 2019).
23
“Doklady Rossiyskogo Instituta Strategicheskikh Issledovaniy (RISI)”, (in Russian),
[“Reports of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies (RISS)”], http://www.
riss.ru/upload/news/554/Reports%20of %20RISS_2012_1.pdf. (accessed June 15, 2015).
24
“V Tbilisi sostojalsja gruzino-kitajskij biznes-forum”, (in Russian), [“Tbilisi hosted
Georgia-China Business Forum”], China Radio International, May 10, 2012,
http://russian.cri.cn/841/2012/05/ 10/1s426634.htm (accessed April 3, 2019).
25
”Kitaj investiruet v Gruziju na summu počti 2 milliarda dollarov?”, (in Russian), [“China
invests almost $ 2 billion in Georgia”], Kavkazoved.info, April 16, 2012,
http://www.kavkazoved.info/news/2012/04/16/ kitaj-investiruet-v-gruziju-na-summu-pochti-
v2milli arda.html. (accessed April 7, 2019).
26
“Pravitel’stvo Kitaja vydelit Gruzii v vide granta $4.9 millionov”, (in Russian), [“The
Chinese government will provide Georgia $ 4.9 million as a grant”], Georgia Online,
November 20, 2013, http://www.apsny. ge/2013/pol/1387246130.php (accessed April 5,
2019).
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