Chinese Vice President Han Zheng paid an official visit to Georgia from Friday to Sunday, where he had separate meetings with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in the Georgian capital city of Tbilisi.
At the meeting with Kavelashvili, Han conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's warm greetings and best wishes to him.
Han said that over the past 34 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Georgia, the two sides have been upholding the principles of mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation and promoted sound and steady development of bilateral relations.
In June this year, Xi and Kavelashvili jointly announced the elevation of China-Georgia relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, opening a new chapter for the development of bilateral ties and injecting fresh impetus into cooperation across various fields, Han recalled.
China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Georgia, jointly deliver on the important consensus reached by the two leaders, and advance the development of China-Georgia relations, Han noted.
Kavelashvili asked Han to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to Xi. He said that Georgia and China respect and trust each other, their cooperative bonds keep tightening, and people-to-people exchanges are growing ever more frequent.
He said that Georgia stands ready to keep strengthening cooperation with China in various fields, so as to deliver more benefits to both countries and greater well-being to their peoples.
In his meeting with Kobakhidze, Han said China attaches great importance to growing its relations with Georgia and is ready to be a friend and partner to Georgia featuring mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation, stressing the need to carry forward the fine tradition of mutual support.
China applauds Georgia's firm commitment to the one-China principle and its long-standing support for China's position on issues involving Taiwan, Xinjiang and other matters, Han said, adding that China will, as always, support Georgia in safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests.
China is ready to work with Georgia to deliver the protocol to upgrade the China-Georgia free trade agreement and raise the level of trade liberalization and facilitation, Han said, expressing the hope that the two sides will deepen cooperation in connectivity, education, science and technology, culture, tourism, youth exchanges and local-level ties, keep unleashing the dividends of such policies as the mutual visa exemption and additional direct flights, and expand people-to-people exchanges.
The two sides should uphold international fairness and justice, Han said, pointing to China's willingness to maintain close coordination and cooperation with Georgia in multilateral arenas, jointly implement the four global initiatives, practice true multilateralism, uphold free trade, and safeguard the shared interests of the two countries and nations of the Global South.
Kobakhidze said Georgia will always abide by the one-China principle and support China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He said that Georgia stands ready to work with China to further deepen political mutual trust, upgrade their trade partnership, advance cooperation in joint construction of the Belt and Road, and strengthen cooperation in culture, education, science, sports, health, agriculture, environmental protection, tourism and other fields. Georgia welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in the country and will foster a sound business environment for them, according to the prime minister.
Amid the complex international landscape, China is committed to promoting peace and development and plays an important role on the global stage, Kobakhidze said, adding that Georgia hopes to learn from China, focus on development and progress, and work hand in hand to contribute to world peace and prosperity.
Han also attended and addressed a welcome banquet hosted by the Chinese and Georgian business communities together with Kobakhidze during his visit. He noted that China adheres to the fundamental policy of opening up and unwaveringly pursues high-quality development, providing broad market opportunities for enterprises from all countries, including Georgia. Han expressed the hope that the business communities of both countries will continue to play their role as a bridge and bond, and contribute to the development of the China-Georgia comprehensive strategic partnership.
Chinese vice president pays official visit to Georgia
