China wants visa free travel with Georgia

Georgia-Chinese relations are developing at a healthy rate under the current Government in all directions, from trade and economy to tourism and travel.

As the bilateral relationship strengthens, the Chinese side has revealed its willingness to forge an even closer partnership.

China is ready for a visa free travel regime with Georgia. We wish this and if Georgia is also interested in this issue we might start negotiations,” Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Yue Bin told local Rezonansi newspaper.

The Ambassador emphasized that more than 100 million Chinese tourists traveled abroad annually and if a portion of these travellers visited Georgia that would bring great economic benefits for the host country.

Ambassador Bin added that as well as this initiative, Georgia could pursue other economic opportunities from China from other angles.

We have excellent outcomes with regard to [visa] free travel. Research studying the prospects of Georgia-Chinese free travel possibilities is in its final phase. When it is completed official negotiations are anticipated to start,” Bin told the newspaper.

In order to mention the scale of the current trade-economic relations the Ambassador stressed that in the first half of the year China has already invested 217.9 million USD in Georgia and the trade turnover between the two nations reached 420.9 million USD.

In the first six months of the year we imported 984,000 bottles of Georgian wine and became the fourth big importer of wine for Georgia.

In general we have taken the third place among Georgia’s major importer states,” Chinese diplomat said.

Georgia and China already enjoyed successful cooperation in trade-economic, infrastructural, financial, cultural and other fields.
(Agenda.ge)