Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the China International Import Expo (CIIE), the world's first national-level exposition dedicated to imports, plays a very important role in enhancing the economic and trade partnership between his country and China.
Georgia is one of the guest countries of honor for this year's eighth CIIE in Shanghai. Kobakhidze was invited to deliver a speech at the opening ceremony on Wednesday, in which he conveyed Georgia's commitment to enhancing cooperation with China.
"I would like to thank our Chinese friends for excellent arrangement of the event. I attended the opening ceremony and it was a great privilege to be invited as a special guest to this forum. And of course, we have a general message that we are very open and enthusiastic to promote cooperation with China. It's the crucial priority for Georgia. And of course, the participation in this forum offers another opportunity for us to exchange our views, to present our ideas and to exchange the ideas, so it's a very important event for us," Kobakhidze said in an interview with China Media Group in the city.
At this year's expo, Georgia is showcasing a wide array of products, including wines. The prime minister said he was delighted to see the growing trade and people-to-people exchanges between Georgia and China.
"We try to show our best to the audience. And Georgia is famous [for] different type of products, and wine is one of the key products. We are also exporting to different countries and we are happy that wine exports are growing also to China. We are also happy that so many Chinese tourists are coming to Georgia, and these numbers are growing and growing. I think that Georgia will become even more interesting destination for more Chinese tourists in the future," said Kobakhidze.
More than 40 leading companies from Georgia have taken part in this year's expo. Kobakhidze believes that platforms like the CIIE will continue to play a vital role in boosting trade relations between Georgia and China.
"This is a very important forum and the statistics also show that we have permanently growing numbers in all the different areas when it comes to the imports and exports. But of course, this kind of forum also contributes a lot to the increased partnership, trade partnership, economic partnership between the two countries, and we would like to take advantage of these opportunities in the future," he said.
With the theme "New Era, Shared Future," the CIIE this year has attracted 4,108 overseas exhibitors from 155 countries, regions, and international organizations -- with the total exhibition area exceeding 430,000 square meters.
Running through Nov 10, the event will see the debut of 461 new products, technologies and services.
Georgian PM hails CIIE's role in enhancing trade partnership with China
