Georgia to participate in largest exhibition in China
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Tuesday, August 22
Initiated by the People’s Republic of China, one of the largest investment and commercial exhibitions in the world, the China International Fair for Investment & Trade, will be held in China on 18-21 September.
Georgia has been granted an honored country’s status and a special exhibition space has been allocated for it.
Georgia’s Ministry of Economy reports that the potential of Georgia will be shown at the exhibition, with the organization of ‘Produce in Georgia’, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Energy and the Foreign Ministry in different respects, presenting its business climate, investment and trade capabilities.
A dedicated Georgia-China business forum will be held on September 18.
Georgia’s Minister of Economy, Giorgi Gakharia, and Minister of Agriculture Levan Davitashvili will open the forum.
Georgia is the first country in the Caucasus region to sign a free trade agreement with China in May this year, which opened a 1.4 billion consumer market for Georgian products.
China has signed 14 such agreements with more than 24 countries and regions so far.
“Georgia launched talks with China over the deal in March 2015 and successfully concluded the negotiations in record time,” Georgia’s Economy Minister Giorgi Gakharia said after signing the agreement in China on May 13.
“Georgia is a country with a small economy, but we are also a country which consistently increases exports to China.
“We see a lot of potential through signing such deals with such big economies as China is,” Gakharia said.
The Minister stressed the agreement provided a “higher lever” of cooperation between Georgia and China.
The Economy Ministry reported that after signing the deal, 94 percent of Georgian products would be free from customs fees when exported to China.
