Domestic Reactions to Granting of Anaklia Port to Chinese Consortium

On May 29, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Levan Davitashvili announced that the winner in the Anaklia Deep Sea Port private partnership selection competition is the Chinese-Singaporean consortium, which will be officially announced in the coming days. Two of the companies named by Minister Davitashvili have controversial reputation: China Communication Construction Company Limited was black listed by the U.S. Department of Commerce for building artificial islands in the South China Sea for military purposes, while China Road and Bridge Corporation has been sanctioned by the World Bank for fraudulent practices in connection with the Philippines’ National Road Improvement and Management Program.

We have compiled the first reactions to the handover of the construction of the Anaklia port to the Sino-Singaporean consortium from across the Georgian political spectrum:

Ruling majority

Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister: “We have heard a lot of speculation about the Chinese company. Meanwhile, this is one of the largest Chinese state companies, which has great experience, including in the implementation of this type of projects… They submitted a very good bid for the development of this project. Therefore, the winning of this tender by the Chinese company ensures that the Anaklia project will be implemented at the highest level. As for the political opponents who were once involved in the processes of Anaklia, I would like to remind you that the state has made many postphonements for them to attract investors, but… over the years they have never been able to attract an investor. It is their responsibility, but they are trying to shift this responsibility to others. It is not our responsibility to develop this project, it is our interest. The implementation of this project with the participation of the Chinese company has a special importance, because the Chinese cargo has a special importance for the maximum effective functioning of this port. Therefore, there is no place for speculations, but we see that whoever started these speculations receives grants from suspicious sources, and this anti-Chinese campany, which is promoted by certain politicians and NGOs, is dictated by this.”

Kakha Kaladze, GD Secretary General, Tbilisi Mayor: “Georgia acts above all on the basis of its own interests, and we can prove this with many concrete facts. As for the winning company, it is one of the largest companies in the world, and in general the role of China is important, also considering that its trade with the EU is approaching 800 billion. If at least two-three percent of the cargo will pass through Georgia, it will be very important for the economy of our country. The port project is also very important for our country, its statehood and sovereignty. It is also important that our role in the region will be strengthened.”

Paata Kvizhinadze, GD, Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Parliament: “Unfortunately, American and European companies have not entered [the project], they have never entered, and they are doing the right thing, in my opinion…because if you ask me, Anaklia port loses any meaning without Chinese cargo”.

Guram Macharashvili, People’s Power: “Through the port of Anaklia, we have practically seen that Georgia has become the main actor of the Middle Corridor, which is very beneficial for us not only from the economic point of view, which is very important, but also from the point of view of increasing [our] political importance. Of course, some countries and the radical opposition do not like this. Along with [their] ignorance, you have seen their narrative – they say that this Chinese company is benefiting Russia… How can a Chinese company benefit Russia here, when they are actually competitors… First of all, it benefits Georgia.”

Opposition

Mamuka Khazaradze, Lelo for Georgia: “The plans of the Russian government were revealed to us openly and for the first time with the suspension of the Anaklia project. And now everything is clear to everyone – Russian law, visits to Iran, standing next to Hezbollah, and finally handing over the Anaklia port to China, refusing American and European investments! All they have left is a red cross to put on the government administration! They won’t get away with it! We will see the Russian regime off to Moscow in October.”

Irakli Kupradze, Lelo for Georgia: “This is a Russian policy hidden behind China’s economic interests, this government has pulled this country into the Russian orbit and is trying to roll us into the international spider web of corruption. Starting with the offshore law, ending with the companies suspected of international machinations, we are going back to deep communism. All that’s left is to put a red cross on the government administration!”

Nika Parulava, Ahali: “This will be an additional factor for further escalation of relations with the United States of America and distancing from the Georgian Dream… This is an obvious policy of the Georgian Dream when everything Western is leaving Georgia because of every step they take.”

Teona Akubardia, parliamentary faction Reformists: “While Ivanishvili is isolating [the country] from the West, the growth of Sino-Russian influence in Georgia is, of course, very dangerous.”

Roman Gotsiridze, parliamentary faction Euro-Optimists: “The government directly removed from the Western orbit the Anaklia project and the port, which in addition to the economic benefits should have been the Western shield.”

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