“It is a great honour for me to meet the Speaker of Parliament, together with the delegation and my colleagues, here in Shaanxi. We are truly delighted and honoured to have you as our guests. We hope this visit will further strengthen our friendship and cooperation at various levels and across a range of fields,” Zhao Yide, the Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Congress, stated at a meeting with Shalva Papuashvili, Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia.

He also noted that diplomatic relations between China and Georgia were established 34 years ago.

“Georgia is likewise China’s first strategic partner in the South Caucasus region. Over the past 34 years, both sides have consistently upheld the principles of mutual respect and understanding, and have always pursued a path of mutual benefit. Most notably, President Xi Jinping and the President of Georgia exchanged congratulatory letters last year, which charted a new direction for the strategic partnership between the two countries. Under the leadership of their respective nations, the partnership between China and Georgia has grown increasingly close across various fields, with trade and business taking centre stage. Last year, bilateral trade turnover reached 248 million US dollars, representing a 70% growth. Automobiles, spare parts, mechanical and electronic equipment have successfully entered the Georgian market, whilst Georgian red wine enjoys considerable popularity here in Shaanxi Province.

In the area of connectivity and transport, Georgia serves as a vital hub on the western route of China–Europe freight trains. To date, 601 trains have already been dispatched, with 116 of those running this year alone, which is a very encouraging trend. At present, six international cargo air routes are already in operation between our two sides. We are confident that through our joint efforts, we will establish direct passenger flights between Shaanxi and Tbilisi by 2027. Currently, three Georgian students are studying in Shaanxi. This demonstrates that cooperation across the three aforementioned spheres is already yielding significant results, and we look forward to even greater progress in the future.

Mr Speaker, we are truly delighted and honoured to have you as our guest. We hope this visit will further strengthen our friendship and cooperation at various levels and across a range of fields. In the area of trade, we believe that by making better use of the zero-tariff policy, we will be able to increase exports of Chinese automobiles, electronics, and mechanical products to Georgia, whilst Georgian wine and mineral resources will gain a wider foothold in the Shaanxi market,” Zhao Yide declared.