Garibashvili invites China’s Silk Road Fund experts to Tbilisi
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Georgia is preparing to host hundreds of high level officials from China and the surrounding region at the upcoming Tbilisi Silk Road Forum, where global leaders will discuss how to reinstate the ancient Silk Road route between Europe and Asia.
In China on official business, Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili invited Chinese from the Silk Road Fund (SRF) to attend the October 15-16 conference in Georgia’s capital.
Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili discussed Georgia's Silk Road participation perspectives with the representatives of the Silk Road Fund of China. Photo by Prime Minister's webpage.
The invitation was made when Garibashvili met the Chinese side at a meeting in Beijing today within the framework of the five-day World Economic Forum in China’s seaside city Dalian.
The SRF, with a $40 billion USD budget, focused on exploring new trade-economic benefits and opportunities to connect European and Asian economic markets.
Earlier it was claimed more than 400 Chinese representatives will attend the Tbilisi Silk Road Forum to study and discuss the benefits of the New Silk Road route initiated by the Chinese government. The aim of the route is to connect Europe and Asia via the easiest and fastest directions.
The Georgian Government noted it would again emphasize Georgia’s important strategic role on the new trade route at the event.
We have already received the first trade train from China that reached Georgia in nine days. The same route through the sea requires 45-60 days,” Garibashvili said.
We are ready to be the part of the route,” Garibashvili added.
Georgia will be the first country in the region to launch negotiations with China about free trade, said Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili after meeting his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang in China today.
Georgia will soon begin exporting wine to one of China’s major port cities, Dalian. Georgian Wine Company (GWC) signed a Memorandum with Dalian Free Trade Zone today to solidify the deal.
State-owned enterprise Dongfang Electric has pledged to contribute about $180-$200 million for construction of a 150 megawatt Thermal Power Plant (TPP) in Georgia’s western Tkibuli region.
Garibashvili emphasised that American and Chinese companies were interested in constructing a deep-water port in Georgia that would meet 100 million ton trade turnover annually. The new port would help increase Georgia’s role as a transit nation.
A leading Chinese company could implement a new $1 billion USD highway construction project in Georgia.
Hundreds of global high-ranking officials and business leaders will gather in the Georgian capital this autumn to attend the Silk Road Forum.
Georgia and China are deepening cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, science, modern technologies and construction.
Today in capital Beijing Usupashvili met his Chinese counterpart and participated in a conference dedicated to the New Silk Road prospects.