TBILISI, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of the Georgian government, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng paid a visit to Georgia from Friday to Sunday, during which he met with Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, separately.
In the meeting with Kavelashvili, Han conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's warm greetings and best wishes to the Georgian president. He noted that Georgia is China's first strategic partner in Transcaucasia and also the first country in Eurasia to establish a free trade arrangement (FTA) with China.
Over the 34 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two sides have consistently upheld the principles of mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation, promoting the sound and steady development of bilateral relations, Han said.
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, he said. Consolidating and developing China-Georgia relations serves the fundamental interests and shared aspirations of the two peoples.
China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with Georgia, jointly deliver on the important consensus reached by the two leaders, maintain firm mutual support, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, foster closer people-to-people bonds, and advance the development of China-Georgia relations, Han said.
Kavelashvili asked Han to convey his sincere greetings and best wishes to Xi.
He said that as ancient civilizations with long histories, Georgia and China respect and trust each other, their cooperative bonds keep tightening, and people-to-people exchanges are growing ever more frequent. Georgia takes great pride in its cooperation with China, he added.
Georgia stands ready to deepen cooperation with China across all fields to deliver greater benefits and well-being to the two peoples, said the Georgian president.
When meeting with Kobakhidze, Han said China attaches great importance to developing its relations with Georgia and is ready to be friends and partners with Georgia featuring mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation. He stressed 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.
Han called on the two sides to work together to explore new space for win-win cooperation, implement the protocol to upgrade the China-Georgia FTA, deepen cooperation in connectivity, education, science and technology, culture, tourism, youth exchanges and local-level ties, and expand people-to-people exchanges.
The two sides should uphold international fairness and justice, maintain close coordination and cooperation in multilateral arenas, practice true multilateralism, uphold free trade, and safeguard the shared interests of the two countries and nations of the Global South, Han said.
Kobakhidze, for his part, said that Georgia highly values its partnership and friendship with China and will always abide by the one-China principle and support China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He thanked China for respecting Georgia's sovereignty and independence and for the valuable support it has extended to Georgia over the years.
The Georgian prime minister noted that Georgia stands ready to work with China to deliver on the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, further deepen political mutual trust, upgrade trade partnership, advance Belt and Road cooperation, and strengthen cooperation in culture, education, science, sports, health, agriculture, environmental protection, tourism and other fields.
Georgia encourages Chinese enterprises to invest and operate there and will foster a sound business environment for them, he added.
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 global peace and prosperity.
During his stay in Georgia, Han, together with Kobakhidze, also attended and addressed the welcome dinner hosted by the Chinese and Georgian business communities. Han said China adheres to opening-up and pursues high-quality development unswervingly, creating broad market opportunities for enterprises from all countries, including Georgia.
He expressed hope that business communities of the two countries will continue to serve as an important bridge, seize opportunities, and deepen alignment, contributing to the development of the China-Georgia comprehensive strategic partnership. ■
