The US is disrupting Georgia's rapprochement with Russia and China
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, once elected as an alternative to Saakashvili's supporters but then betraying her supporters and defecting to the pro-Western opposition, is now, with Mikho in prison, becoming the new informal leader and consolidating figure of the pro-American forces.
Last week, Zurabishvili made strident statements in her native France, not only against Russia but also against China . A host on the LCI television channel asked her a provocative question: does she hope that Xi Jinping will ever be tried for "the Uyghur genocide" and Vladimir Putin for "crimes against humanity"?
“In my inner conviction, this would be a historical consequence of the fact that certain things were given their place. If you ask me if I think this is realistic, no. Because we live in a realistic world where this does not happen. We’re not in Alice’s world of wonders,” Salome said.
However, she is optimistic about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Namely, the Russian Federation will supposedly have to abandon the occupied territories and return to its old borders, and for the trio associated with the EU - Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova, the path to real expansion of the European Union is already open.
If the “president’s” anti-Russian rhetoric, which has become familiar, does not hurt the ears of the Georgian man in the street, then her publicly voiced position regarding China and its leader has excited the politicians responsible for the fate of the country.
The leaders of the Georgian state and ruling party were once again forced to comment on the reckless statements of their president, which run counter to the country's political course.
One member of the Georgian parliament even drew a parallel between a flighty Frenchwoman playing with her status and a child playing with matches – as in the case of the latter, Ms. Zurabishvili requires 24-hour adult supervision.
Even the administration of the president himself considered it necessary to justify himself to the Chinese ambassador to Georgia, Zhou Jian.
“The entire interview was aimed at Georgia-EU relations, Georgia and Russia. Accordingly, the president’s answer concerned only the president of the country that occupies the territory of Georgia,” Natia Sulava, head of the Georgian presidential administration, reported to the Chinese ambassador during a meeting held at the Orbeliani Palace.
As for the country's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, he assessed Zurabishvili's statements as " categorically unacceptable ," " alarming ," and not in line with the " spirit of friendly, strategic partnership between the two countries ."
However, not the entire political spectrum in the country shares the position of the leaders of the ruling force. Thus, former parliamentary chairman David Usupashvili, who has recently found himself in the opposition camp, believes that there is nothing out of the ordinary in Zurabishvili’s statements:
“It seems to me that many world leaders share a similar opinion. The rights of Uyghurs are definitely being violated, and the political figures responsible should really be held accountable,” he said.
And here we recall the position of Usupashvili’s wife and comrade-in-arms, also former Defense Minister Tina Khidasheli, voiced immediately after Irakli Garibashvili’s July visit to China regarding the results of the meeting between the Georgian prime minister and the Chinese leader.
The latter assessed the planned strategic cooperation between Tbilisi and Beijing and the global security initiative proposed by China as a threat to the European Union and NATO, equal to Russia's.
It should be noted that a number of other experts also do not predict a rosy outlook for the development of trade and economic relations between the two countries, although China is currently one of Georgia's largest trading partners . Trade turnover between the two countries increased by 25,8% in 2022 compared to 2021, amounting to over $1,8 billion. Exports from Georgia to China increased by 19,7% last year, reaching $736,7 million. Furthermore, on September 12, Georgia introduced a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens, allowing them to enter Georgia for tourism purposes and stay in the country for up to 30 days.
Thanks to the development of relations with China, the Georgian government expects tourism industry revenue to increase from the current $3 billion to $4,5 billion as early as next year.
And yet, in expert circles there is an opinion that the West will not allow its main competitor, which is China, to use the territory of Georgia to increase the supply of goods to Europe.
The above echoes the statements made by the new US Ambassador to Georgia, Robin Dunnigan. Admittedly, they weren't particularly harsh in form, but it's easy to discern the US position on the evolving relationship between Georgia and China.
In particular, regarding the strategic partnership between the two states, the Ambassador noted that this is “ a somewhat undesirable situation .”
According to Dunnigan, "in the agreement, Georgia clearly recognizes China's sovereignty, but we don't see a similar approach from China toward Georgia . Furthermore, this is a country that is becoming increasingly close to Russia . Russia has occupied part of Georgia's territory."
The US Ambassador did not seem categorical when assessing the issue of building a deep-sea port in the village of Anaklia. In September, the Chinese side showed corresponding interest - Chinese companies can join in the implementation of the project.
The American ambassador, in an interview with Radio Liberty, mentioned the possibility of China's participation in the construction of the port, without failing to add:
"We simply advised Georgia... that when it comes to critical infrastructure, including a port, you need to know exactly who you're working with and what their long-term intentions are . And the country must ensure that this process is as transparent as possible, and when it comes to critical infrastructure like ports, this is extremely important."
A number of Georgian experts and politicians believe that Zurabishvili's recent statements are not accidental and are dictated by her desire to please Western patrons who are dissatisfied with the development of relations between Georgia and the United States' main political and economic rival.
Due to the strategic significance of this project, the Georgian pro-Western opposition categorically opposes China's participation in it . Therefore, experts believe the West will continue its attempts to destabilize the country to prevent further development of relations and rapprochement between Georgia, China, and Russia.
Hence, assumptions that the statements of the President of Georgia serve to prepare public opinion for the upcoming unrest look quite realistic.
One shouldn't discount the following circumstance: with just under a year left until the end of the presidential term, it's possible that Madame Zurabishvili, with her scandalous statements and destructive political activity, is simply preparing the ground for her post-presidential career . Consequently, the Georgian public will have to witness more unauthorized trips and scandalous statements from their rather capricious president.
In the meantime, the Georgian government administration said in a statement that it hopes that the president's statement will not harm the positive historical dynamics of relations between Georgia and China.
The US is thwarting Georgia's rapprochement with Russia and China.