MP Nikoloz Samkharadze: Georgia has a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, with ambitious Middle Corridor plans
“A Georgian parliamentary delegation will arrive in China on Tuesday for an official visit at the invitation of the International Department of the Communist Party of China,” Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Nikoloz Samkharadze announced on Monday.
MP Samkharadze outlined the delegation’s key goal as expanding bilateral ties, noting that relations reached a milestone this year with the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership.
“This partnership is delivering tangible results: Chinese tourist arrivals, direct flights, and bilateral trade turnover have all grown, directly benefiting our economy and citizens’ well-being. However, we have even more ambitious plans, particularly regarding the Middle Corridor transit route and political cooperation,” Samkharadze stated.
Highlighting Beijing’s expanding global influence, Samkharadze said talks will cover the Middle East crisis and peace efforts in Ukraine, adding that China’s regional summit, set to gather US and Russian leaders, makes Beijing’s perspective vital for Tbilisi.
Following Vice President Han Zheng’s “highly successful and productive” visit to Georgia, which featured a bilateral business forum, the Georgian delegation will undertake an extensive itinerary. The itinerary includes talks at the National People’s Congress, meetings with youth and women’s groups, a lecture at the China University of International Relations, and a tour of Hangzhou’s tech hub.
Samkharadze also criticised opposition parties for ignoring the Chinese Vice President’s visit to Tbilisi:
“The opposition views any foreign policy success for Georgia as a personal defeat, trying to obscure the Vice President’s visit from their audience. Such tactics are senseless in the internet age. Perhaps their Western partners are unhappy with closer Georgia–China relations, which explains their total media blackout of such a landmark event,” Samkharadze asserted.