Author: Medea Ivaniadze |
The digest covers China’s political, diplomatic, economic and other activities in the South Caucasus region and relations between China and the South Caucasus countries. It relies on a wide variety of sources, including the Chinese media. It is worth noting that the Chinese media is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (according to the World Press Freedom Index China is nearly at the bottom of the list and ranks 175th out of 180 countries)
Read full publication: Chinese Ambassador and Georgian Justice Minister discuss “the importance of deepening legal cooperation” A photo from the meeting. Source: The Chinese Embassy in Georgia The Chinese Ambassador Zhou Qian met with the Georgian Minister of Justice Rati Bregvadze, Georgia’s Ministry of Justice reported on December 8. According to the Ministry, the parties talked about ways of developing cooperation between the two countries. Bregvadze emphasized, “the importance of deepening legal cooperation” with China. The Chinese Embassy report said that the Ambassador introduced China’s international judicial cooperation situation, and expressed his government’s desire to push forward China-Georgia cooperation in judicial assistance and extradition. According to the Embassy report, the Georgian side attaches great importance to Georgia-China relations and is hoping to work with the Chinese side to strengthen judicial exchange and cooperation. At the meeting, Bregvadze also noted the Ambassador’s support in the process of opening a branch of the House of Justice in the Hualing Plaza in September 2022.
Chinese Ambassador speaks of China-Azerbaijan relations On December 6, APA agency published an interview with the Chinese Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Guo Min. Among other issues, the Ambassador talked about China-Azerbaijan relations. While discussing the China-Azerbaijan trade, the Ambassador said that in 2022 the trade had increased by 18%. Guo Min noted that Chinese enterprises attached great importance to the Azerbaijan market. “China is willing to work with Azerbaijan under the guidance of the essential common understanding of the two heads of state to build more platforms for further mutual exchanges between business, local, and industry representatives from both sides by expanding the scale of bilateral trade, optimizing the commodity structure of trade, and facilitating trade and investment,” the Ambassador said, adding that to do so they would attract more capable Chinese enterprises to participate in “mutually beneficial collaborative projects” with Azerbaijan in infrastructure, digital economy, green energy, processing and manufacturing, modern agriculture, finance, and other fields. She noted that they would continue to support Azerbaijan companies in exploring the Chinese market through exhibitions, cross-border e-commerce, and other channels. About the Middle Corridor, Guo Min said that it was “highly compatible” with China’s Belt and Road initiative, and it was “significant in enhancing regional connectivity, promoting economic and social development along the route, and safeguarding the global supply chain”. The Chinese Ambassador noted that the Middle Corridor had helped to ensure the stable and smooth operation of the China-Central Asia-Caucasus-Europe transport route “under the new circumstances of 2022”. According to the Ambassador, from January to August, the number of China-Europe freight trains passing through the Middle Corridor increased by 34% year-on-year. She announced that it was expected that the number of train trips would reach a new high throughout the year with additional new lines that have departure stations in many Chinese cities. “…China looks forward to strengthening exchanges and cooperation with Azerbaijan and other countries along the Corridor so that we can jointly promote the high-quality connection between the Belt and Road and the Middle Corridor, and drive the flow of information, capital, and personnel with the growth of logistics flow to provide new impetus for the development of countries along the Belt and Road and the Middle Corridor as well as regions concerned,” Ambassador said. At the end of the interview, Guo Min said that China and Azerbaijan were “genuinely strategic partners”. The Ambassador emphasized that China appreciated Azerbaijan’s efforts in abiding by the one-China principle, “strongly opposing any attempts to interfere in China’s domestic affairs and split China, and firmly supporting China in safeguarding its core interests”.
Georgia’s Hualing Plaza and Wuwei’s customs and logistics center sign agreement A photo from the event. Source: Hualing Plaza On December 8, Hualing Group reported that a delegation from Wuwei’s customs and logistics center had visited Hualing Plaza, and viewed the renovated Hualing shopping center, Mihouse, and other shops. According to the signed cooperation agreement, Wuwei’s customs and logistics center and Hualing Group plan to establish a joint overseas warehousing and distribution center, which “will contribute to the growth of smooth circulation of Chinese-Georgian products”.
Georgian government contractor Chinese companies’ income in Georgia reported On December 8, Bm.ge published a material entitled: “How many millions in revenue do government contractors Chinese companies have?” “A significant part of the largest infrastructure projects in Georgia is completed by Chinese construction companies,” said the report. According to Bm.ge, the following are the financial results of some Chinese companies in Georgia: China Road and Bridge Corporation: Income in 2021 – 223,204,085 GEL; net profit in 2021 – 11,740,565 GEL. Sinohydro Corporation Branch in Georgia: Income in 2021 – 57,091,277 GEL; loss in 2021 – 28,711,844 GEL. 23rd China Railway Bureau Group: Income in 2021 – 31,510,046 GEL; net loss in 2021 – 43,432,440 GEL.
Georgia’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Chinese Ambassador discuss cooperation A photo from the meeting. Source: The Chinese Embassy in Georgia On December 7, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Zhou Qian met with the Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Nino Tandilashvili, the Chinese Embassy in Georgia reported. z
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