CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VIII (1) ContemporaryEurasia81 | Page 72

IMPERATIVES OF GEORGIAN DIPLOMACY AND COOPERATION OF TBILISI AND…
the field of agriculture. Currently, it is the Chinese actions in the priority for
the Georgian winemakers. Thus, the sale of Georgian wine in China by 2014
increased by 34%. An important event was the fact that this year, Georgia
became one of the founders of the Asian Bank of infrastructure investment,
which was established in China in 2014. Its authorized capital is $100
billion”. 27
Indeed, it was not without pride when the Statistics Department of
Georgia reported that, in January-July 2014, the volume of exports from
Georgia to China exceeded the sum of 43 million dollars, which is 11%
more than in January-July 2013. 28 From January-February 2015, the volume
of exports from Georgia to China increased by 271% and amounted to 4.5%
of the total exports of Georgia. Foreign trade turnover between the two
countries during this period reached more than 112.2 million dollars, which
is 5.4% more than in January-February 2014. 29 Thus, China has now taken
its place firmly among the major trade partners of the «Land of the Golden
Fleece» and will not surrender its positions.
Georgia is becoming more attractive for Chinese tourists as well. The
number of Chinese tourists increased almost five times from 2010 to 2016.
Visitors from China to Georgia increased by 75% in 2018. In total, 18,179
Chinese tourists visited Georgia in 2017, and 31,855 visitors in 2018. 30
However, one of the most promising areas of Georgian-Chinese
cooperation is still the transportation. In 2010, the Chinese company “China
Sino-Hydro Corporation” and “China Railway 23rd Bureau Group” took
over the reconstruction of the Rikoti Tunnel – strategically important for the
transport infrastructure of Georgia since it connects the eastern and western
parts of the country. 31 According to some estimations China is also interested
in the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project, although specific investment steps
on the Chinese side have not yet been made. China is ready to invest
hundreds of millions more for the development of necessary transport routes.
It is already working on two main areas. The first route is through Russia,
and the second - Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Experts in Tbilisi
27
“Šjelkovyj put’ Gruzii”, (in Russian), [“Georgia's Silk Road”], New Caucasus, May 29,
2015, http://newcaucasus.com/?newsid=7267(accessed April 3, 2019).
28
“Kitaj zainteresovalsja Gruziej”, (in Russian), [“China is interested in Georgia”], Politrus,
September 9, 2014, http://www.politrus.com/2014/09/09/georgia-china-2/ (accessed April 7,
2019).
29
“V janvare-fevrale 2015 goda ob’jem éksporta iz Gruzii v Kitaj povysilsja na 271%”, (in
Russian), [“In January-February 2015 Georgian export to China rose by 271%”], Sputnik
Georgia, March 31, 2015, http://sputnik-georgia.ru/economy/20150331/217493960.html
(accessed April 7, 2019).
30
Iza Gigauri, Nino Damenia, Economic Expectations of the Belt and Road Initiative for the
South Caucasus, with Emphasis on Georgia, Business and Economic Research, Vol. 9, Iss. 1,
(2019): 194, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331411291 (accessed May 22, 2019).
31
David Babayan, “Nekotorie aspekti politiki KNR na Kavkaze”, (in Russian) [“Some
aspects of China's policies in the Caucasus”], Central Asia and Caucasus. Vol. 14. Iss. 1,
(2011): 86.
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