Chinese Ambassador: Georgia’s strategic location offers major potential for cross-border transportation, economic cooperation

Zhou Qian, the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia, on Saturday highlighted Georgia’s strategic Black Sea coastal position as a vital asset for developing cross-border transportation and positioning the country as a central hub in Eurasian logistics.

In his interview with Imedi TV, Zhou underscored that Georgia’s location on the Black Sea coast made it a critical node in the China-Central Asia-Caucasus-Europe logistics corridor.

“Georgia, situated on the Black Sea coast, has significant potential for the development of cross-border transportation. With the accelerated construction of the Middle Corridor, the Black Sea region is becoming a key hub of the China-Central Asia-Caucasus-Europe logistics corridor. China is ready to cooperate with Georgia and regional partners to strengthen collaboration in logistics modernisation, improve transport efficiency, and jointly build an effective and green Eurasian land-sea transport corridor”, he said.

The Ambassador highlighted several priority areas for China-Georgia cooperation based on complementary strengths and shared development goals.

“Based on complementary advantages and shared development goals, China considers the following sectors most attractive for Chinese investment: First, clean energy and green development. Georgia is a mountainous country with abundant rivers, making it rich in clean energy resources. China is a global leader in the clean energy industry, ranking first in installed capacity for wind, hydro, and photovoltaic energy. China has a complete industrial chain and a clear cost advantage. There are broad prospects for cooperation between the two sides in these sectors”, he noted.

He further noted that leveraging Georgia’s rich agricultural resources and China’s expertise in planting, cultivation, and food processing, the two countries could enhance trade and investment across the agricultural supply chain, from farm to table.

“Second, cooperation in agricultural product processing and the food industry value chain. By leveraging the benefits of the renewed free trade agreement, the two sides can achieve greater results in agricultural trade. Georgia has abundant agricultural resources, while China is a global leader in planting and cultivation technologies. The two sides can actively deepen cooperation across the entire industrial chain - from farm to table - in areas such as planting, animal husbandry, fisheries, and food processing. This will not only increase the added value of agricultural products but also provide consumers with higher-quality and more affordable goods, creating a mutually beneficial situation”, he said.

The Ambassador noted that Chinese companies had actively participated in modernising Georgia’s E60 and North–South Corridor highways.

“Third, transportation and infrastructure. Georgia’s advantageous geographic location actively supports the alignment of the Middle Corridor with the Belt and Road Initiative. The country is actively developing transport infrastructure, including highways, railways, ports, and airports. Chinese companies’ infrastructure capabilities are widely recognised, having actively participated in the modernisation and reconstruction of Georgia’s E60 and North-South Corridor highways. In the future, infrastructure cooperation between China and Georgia will remain a core area of long-term collaboration”, Zhou noted.

The Ambassador also noted that institutional frameworks had been established through memorandums of understanding between China and Georgia.

“Fourth, digital economy and artificial intelligence. Relevant authorities in China and Georgia have already signed memorandums of understanding on cooperation in digital economy and AI, providing institutional guarantees for collaboration in these fields. China’s digital economy is one of the largest in the world and is ready to actively share its technologies and experience in areas such as smart cities, 5G, and artificial intelligence”, he concluded.