Author: Rezi Topuria, Executive Director of UGSPN
On July 31, 2023, during an official visit to the People’s Republic of China, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili unexpectedly signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with China. The ruling Georgian Dream party immediately hailed the agreement as a major international success, while some experts raised concerns over the asymmetry of the partnership and the potential shift away from Georgia’s pro-Western orientation.
Almost two years have passed since the agreement was signed, prompting a natural question: what has Georgia gained from this strategic partnership with China?
What Does a Strategic Partnership with China Typically Entail?
Georgia is far from the only country to have entered into such an agreement with China. In fact, China’s foreign policy places considerable emphasis on formalizing partnerships with countries around the world. These partnerships take on different forms and can be categorized into five main types:
- Basic Partnership: A lower-tier diplomatic agreement signaling goodwill between parties. For instance, China has a “friendly partnership” with Jamaica and a “new type of cooperative relationship” with Finland. China maintains more than 20 such agreements globally.
- Comprehensive or All-Round Partnership: A step above basic partnerships, these agreements include cooperation across several sectors—primarily economic—with limited strategic alignment. Examples include “comprehensive cooperative partnership” with Croatia and a “high-quality, future-oriented comprehensive partnership” with Singapore. China has signed around 40 such agreements.
- Strategic Partnership: This denotes clearer political and economic alignment, involving regular high-level dialogue and mutual support in international affairs. Examples include China’s strategic partnerships with India, South Korea, Nigeria, and Canada. Over 30 countries have such agreements with China.
- Comprehensive, Global, or All-Round Strategic Partnership: These higher-level agreements involve intense coordination on political, economic, security, and global issues. They are often accompanied by significant investment and infrastructure projects. Examples include comprehensive strategic partnerships with Italy, Malaysia, and Serbia. China maintains such agreements with approximately 20 countries.
- Permanent Strategic Partnership or All-Weather Strategic Partnership: This highest level of partnership signals the strongest and most resilient ties. These agreements cover all areas—political, economic, and military—and include joint exercises, satellite collaboration, intelligence coordination, and diplomatic synchronization. Examples include the “all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” with Pakistan and the “comprehensive strategic partnership and coordination for a new era” with Russia. China has only a few such high-level agreements.
Currently, China describes over 80 of its bilateral relationships using the term “strategic,” though only a subset of these go beyond the general strategic level to indicate deeper engagement. For example, a “comprehensive strategic partnership” suggests broad cooperation in politics, economics, security, culture, and both regional and international affairs—indicating both countries’ intent to elevate their relationship. The “all-weather strategic partnership,” on the other hand, reflects an even higher level of trust and cooperation under any circumstances.
Typically, China begins with a lower-tier agreement and upgrades it over time if strategic interests deepen. For example, the strategic partnership signed with Vietnam in 2009 evolved into a comprehensive strategic partnership by 2016. Kazakhstan’s partnership followed a similar trajectory—starting as a strategic partnership in 2005, upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2011, and further elevated in 2019 to a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership.
What Does the Agreement with Georgia Include?
Georgia’s agreement with China is a general strategic partnership, encompassing four main dimensions:
- Political Dimension:
The agreement reaffirms mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both countries agree that bilateral relations are a foreign policy priority and emphasize the importance of deepening high-level political consultations. Georgia welcomes China’s modernization as a new path for humanity and expresses readiness to exchange governance experiences. The agreement also encourages increased cooperation between parliaments, political parties, and local governments, as well as within regional and international organizations. - Economic Dimension:
The agreement encourages growth in bilateral trade and economic relations, including support for exports and investment. Georgia and China pledge cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, aiming to implement projects in infrastructure, digital technology, and environmental protection. They seek to deepen trade ties under the existing Free Trade Agreement and support the work of a joint commission to increase efficiency and information sharing. China also welcomes Georgia’s participation in tourism and import expos and expresses openness to exploring preferential lending options. - People-to-People and Cultural Dimension:
The two countries aim to renew scientific and technological cooperation based on existing agreements. Cultural ties will be strengthened, and collaboration will be promoted in tourism, healthcare, sports, and youth engagement. Initiatives such as cultural years and the opening of cultural centers are under consideration. In education, the agreement provides for exchange programs for students and academics, joint curricula development, and digital resource sharing. Special emphasis is placed on language learning and the promotion of Georgian and Chinese languages in schools and universities, including the expansion of Confucius Institutes. - International Dimension:
China and Georgia agree to enhance coordination on regional and international issues, upholding UN principles and international law. They jointly support peace, development, justice, democracy, and the respect for sovereign development paths. Georgia expresses support for China’s three global initiatives on development, security, and civilization, and is ready to actively participate in their implementation to help achieve sustainable development goals and foster a peaceful international environment.
What Has Georgia Gained from the Agreement
In several countries, strategic partnerships with China have led to significant increases in Chinese investment. For example, under the “All-Weather Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for a New Era” with Hungary, Chinese investments surpassed €7 billion by 2023. BYD, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, announced a new plant in Hungary, and battery manufacturer CATL committed $7.5 billion for a new factory.
In Iran, under a 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership, China pledged $400 billion in investment. In Morocco, Chinese firms invested 13 billion dirhams in battery production, while in Pakistan, a $20 billion investment was announced for various infrastructure projects.
This begs the question: what has Georgia gained over the past two years?
Unlike these other examples, Georgia has seen no comparable increase in Chinese economic engagement, despite the agreement listing economic relations as a priority. In 2024, China did not even rank among Georgia’s top ten sources of foreign direct investment. In 2023, FDI from China totaled $98 million; by 2024, this had dropped to just $29.04 million. Furthermore, Georgian exports to China were halved in 2023–2024 compared to previous years.
Although the agreement includes a commitment to enhanced international cooperation, China failed to support Georgia’s UN resolution on the return of internally displaced persons from the Russian-occupied territories in both 2024 and 2025.
One area where progress is evident is in people-to-people ties. On May 28, 2024, Georgia introduced visa-free travel to China for its citizens. Earlier, China had implemented a more favorable visa regime for Georgian nationals. Tourism is one area highlighted by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze in his report, which notes that 48,304 Chinese tourists visited Georgia in 2023—a 555% increase over the previous year. In 2024, that number rose to 88,583, an 83% year-on-year increase. However, despite this growth, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reports that 2024 saw a record 5.1 million tourist visits to Georgia overall—making the share of Chinese tourists relatively insignificant.
Conclusion: What Was the Purpose of the Agreement?
It is clear that the Strategic Partnership Agreement with China has not delivered substantial practical results over the past two years. This raises the question: why did Georgia pursue such a controversial move?
The primary motivation appears not to be the diversification of investment sources or boosting tourism. Rather, for the Georgian government, this agreement serves as a symbolic image-building gesture aimed at the domestic audience—providing a veneer of international legitimacy amid tense relations with the West. China was one of only six countries to recognize the legitimacy of the president appointed by Georgian Dream.
Unlike Western institutions, which often attach democratic reform requirements and are vocal critics, China presents itself as a non-critical alternative—albeit one associated with its “debt-trap diplomacy.” Even before the partnership agreement, Georgia had declined a low-interest EU loan only to later accept a much larger one from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Georgian Dream may also hope that this agreement will boost Chinese interest in using Georgia’s strategic location within the Middle Corridor of the Belt and Road Initiative. However, to date, there has been little sign of concrete Chinese interest beyond general declarations.
From China’s perspective, the agreement expands its influence in the region—without yet offering any serious financial or political dividends. Whether this partnership will yield more tangible outcomes in the future remains to be seen.
This article was translated from the original language with the assistance of AI tools and revised by the author