Georgia’s strong economic momentum positions it as appealing partner for China, says PM Kobakhidze

Georgia could be a highly attractive destination for Chinese companies to invest in, and the Georgian Government will do everything possible to offer them the best opportunities, said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in an interview with CCTV’s program Leaders Talk.

In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted that by completing the negotiations on advancing the Free Trade Agreement, “we can further strengthen our trade partnership with China”.

“Since the signing of the Free Trade Agreement in 2018, we have made substantial progress in our trade partnership with China, and the figures are impressive - the growth is indeed significant. Of course, with the completion of negotiations on the advancement of the Free Trade Agreement, we can further deepen this partnership. We want to increase the volume of exports to China”, the PM said.

“Georgia’s economy is developing steadily. Over the past four years, we have had a high rate of economic growth - Georgia’s annual economic growth averaged 9.7%, and this year, if we take the first three quarters, it stands at 7.7%. So, we are developing rapidly, and with this fast-paced development, we can certainly become an even more attractive partner for China”, Kobakhidze continued.

The Prime Minister added that there were many different sectors in Georgia that could be of interest to Chinese investors.

“There are many different sectors in Georgia that could be of interest for Chinese investors - for example, energy, transport and logistics, tourism, and hospitality. Georgia offers economic actors a favourable investment environment. We have a very liberal economic policy, very low taxes, a simple tax system, and minimal bureaucracy for doing business. Georgia also ranks very high in various international indices in terms of ease of doing business”, he noted.

“That is why I believe Georgia can be a very appealing destination for Chinese companies to invest in, and the [Georgian] Government will do everything possible to offer them the best opportunities for investment”, the Prime Minister concluded.