Kobakhidze, Georgian Dream Ministers Visit China
Georgian Dream Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has begun his visit to China, where he is attending the opening of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), a Shanghai-hosted annual trade exhibition, and is expected to meet with senior Chinese officials, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Kobakhidze landed in Shanghai on November 3, where he was welcomed at Hongqiao International Airport by the city’s Vice Mayor Xie Dong. He is set to attend the CIIE opening ceremony, where Georgia is featured as this year’s “Guest of Honor.” According to the government administration press release, more than 40 Georgian companies will showcase their products at the event.
GD PM is accompanied by his cabinet members, including Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili, Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili, Environment and Agriculture Minister Davit Songhulashvili, Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili, Infrastructure Minister Revaz Sokhadze, National Bank’s President Natia Turnava, and head of the government administration, Levan Zhorzholiani.
Kobakhidze’s visit to China comes amid Georgian Dream’s deepening pivot toward Beijing and increasingly strained relations with traditional Western partners. The trip also coincides with political developments in Brussels, where the European Commission is set to release its 2025 Enlargement Report today.
According to RFE/RL’s Georgian Service, which gained an early access to the copy, the report highlights Georgia’s “unprecedented” setback among the EU candidate countries and a “significantly worsened situation”, including “serious democratic backsliding, with rapid erosion of the rule of law and sharp restriction of fundamental rights.”
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