Georgia and China Issue Joint Statement on Strategic Partnership
In the framework of the visit of the Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili to China the two sides issued today the joint statement on establishing Strategic Partnership. According to the PM administration, the statement consists of four parts: political domain, economic domain, people-to-people relations and cultural domain, and international cooperation domain.
As per PM administration, in the political domain, the two sides reaffirm their respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all countries and Georgia firmly adheres to the one-China principle. The sides regard each other as an “important strategic partner” and thus “regard the deepening of bilateral relations as a priority of their respective foreign policies.” Georgia believes that Chinese modernization “offers a new path and a new option for mankind to achieve modernization” and express readiness to exchange experience in governance “to achieve common development and prosperity”. Among other elements of the strategic partnership in the political domain, are strengthening political consultations, expanding ties between central and local governments, legislative branches, and political groups and parties of the two countries to exchange experiences and strengthen interaction.
As for the economic domain, the sides express readiness to further increase bilateral trade, optimize its structure and increase the export of Georgian goods and services to China. Georgia welcomes China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the sides signing Bilateral Cooperation Plan between the Government of the PRC and the Government of Georgia under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative “to gain greater strengths and opportunities for cooperation” and promote sustainable development of both sides.”
The sides express readiness to “facilitate mutual investment and trade and promote cooperation in the areas of transportation, communications, infrastructure modernization, development and strengthening of the Middle Corridor, digital technologies, manufacturing, upgrading and expansion of railway networks, agriculture and food safety, water resources, environment protection, fighting desertification, water desalination, conformity assessment, usage of Georgia’s transit infrastructure for smooth export of Chinese products to Western markets, the exchange of know-how and technology as well as human resource training.”
Georgia and China will continue to enhance cooperation in the framework of the Free Trade agreement concluded in 2018 and will actively explore the possibility of “enriching the agreement”. Both sides will intensify cooperation in tourism. China supports the 4th Tbilisi Silk Road Forum themed “Connecting Today, Resilient Tomorrow”, which will take place in Tbilisi on October 26-27, 2023.
Georgia views cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries as a pragmatic, open and beneficial cross-regional cooperation platform. China welcomes Georgia’s interest in engaging in activities under the framework of this cooperative mechanism as an observer.
According to the document, China will study the provisions of preferential loans for Georgia’s implementation of social and infrastructure projects.
In the people-to people and cultural domain, the sides agree to actively conduct scientific and technological cooperation and renew the agreement on cooperation in the field of science and technology signed between the People’s Republic of China and Georgia in 1993. The sides also agree to foster cultural cooperation, including tourism, health, youth, and sports and cooperation among universities.
The two sides support universities in both countries in carrying out practical cooperation such as joint training programs, and encourage universities “to make full use of high-quality digital education resources and combine online and offline channels for cooperation”. The two sides will “promote student exchange and joint cultivation by making good use of government scholarships and other channels.” The agreement says the sides attach importance to language exchange and cooperation, encourage schools of both countries to carry out Chinese and Georgian languages teaching, stand ready to strengthen exchanges and training of language teachers and “support the building of Confucius Institutes (Classrooms).”
As for the cooperation in international domain, the sides will “strengthen coordination and collaboration in regional and international affairs, jointly uphold true multilateralism, firmly uphold the UN-centered international system, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and promote the establishment of a new type of international relations.”
The document says that Georgia and China support the promotion of “humanity’s common values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, respect all people’s independent choice of development path suited to their national conditions, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.”
Georgia supports the Global Development Initiative proposed by China and is ready to actively participate in cooperation under the Initiative to accelerate implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The document also states that Georgia supports the Global Security Initiative proposed by China, with the two sides committing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation under the Initiative’s framework, make joint effort for a peaceful and stable international security environment, and promote and protect common development of countries in the region.
Georgia expresses support the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China with the two sides committing to actively cooperate to implement the Initiative.
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