The Diplomat: “China’s Growing Presence in Georgia”

"China looks set to become a genuine player in Georgia and the South Caucasus,” writes Michael Cecire for The Diplomat online.

Cecire, a Black Sea regional analyst and an associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, discusses how China’s interest in Georgia and the South Caucasus "is neither new nor particularly unexpected”, but Chinese investment has been rising in the region for several years and now Beijing has come to understand the strategic importance of Georgia, partly because of its multi-billion dollar New Silk Road project in which Georgia plays a critical role as a connector state between Eurasia and Europe.

What does China’s new interest in Georgia mean for the South Caucasian nation? Cecire notes benefits could include increased trade, increased Foreign Direct Investments, China helping to ensure a more stable Georgia and possibly even in defensive arms.

Beijing’s big investment in the promises of trans-Eurasian economic integration looks to already be paying off for Tbilisi. Further cooperation – and dividends – seem like only a matter of time, which Georgian officials will almost certainly embrace with gusto.”

"Western states, and particularly the U.S., will likely be wary of growing Chinese influence in the South Caucasus, but have little basis for complaining if Tbilisi seeks to counter Russian primacy in the absence of Euro-Atlantic guarantees. For its part, Russia is unlikely to be pleased with the Middle Kingdom’s growing footprint in its so-called "near abroad,” but will have few levers to oppose China given its international isolation and dependence on generous Chinese energy deals. If trends hold, China is sure to become a genuine, and likely long-term, player in Georgia and the South Caucasus.”

Read the full article here: www.thediplomat.com