Georgia introduces visa-free travel for Chinese citizens
Visa-free regime for Chinese citizens has been introduced in Georgia since September 11.
According to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, tourism is very important for the economy of Georgia and last year brought 3 billion 500 million dollars in direct revenue to the country. The government expects those revenues to grow to 4-4.5 billion dollars.
“You know, I had a very successful visit to China, and China today is the second economy in the world, the strongest economy. One of our main interests is to strengthen trade and economic relations with China, to attract more Chinese investments and more tourists to Georgia. My visit served this purpose and one of the main components of signing strategic cooperation will be the continuation of trade and economic relations.
I would like to say that in general, Chinese tourists are considered among the most desired tourists in the world, in Europe, in America, everywhere. We also have direct flights, I had a conversation with the Chinese Prime Minister on this issue as well,” Garibashvili said and emphasized the “efficiency” of the Chinese government.
Garibashvili also noted that the delegation of the Chinese Minister of Economy came to Georgia specifically about direct flights:
Five and a half years after the implementation of the free trade agreement, Georgia and China have decided to establish a strategic partnership.
During the multi-day visit of a delegation of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili to China, the two countries issued a joint statement on establishing a strategic partnership in four areas:
Politics;
economy;
interpersonal and cultural ties;
international dimension.
The transition to a new level of cooperation with the world’s second largest economy has caused a mixed assessment in Georgian society.
Part of the society perceived this decision as a turn of the back to the West, another part – as an additional opportunity for economic development, while many people accept the deepening of economic cooperation, while they see risks in the political part of the agreement.
Read more about what is written in the strategic partnership document here.
