Ruling party official warns against attempts to draw Georgia into US-China geopolitical confrontation

Levan Makhashvili, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament’s Committee on European Integration, on Wednesday accused certain actors of seeking to entangle Georgia in a geopolitical confrontation between the United States and China, positioning the country as a pawn in their rivalry.

Makhashvili’s remarks came in response to the upcoming Helsinki Commission hearing in Washington, where former Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili and former Defence Minister Tina Khidasheli were invited as witnesses to testify against Georgia.

“There is a deliberate attempt to drag Georgia into a geopolitical confrontation between China and the United States and turn it into a pawn between these two major powers”, Makhashvili said.

He criticised efforts to portray Georgia’s trade relations with China as a significant geopolitical issue, especially when the US itself prioritises deepening economic ties with China.

“While the US itself declares deepening economic and trade relations with China as one of its strategic priorities, these individuals are trying to portray Georgia’s small, yet existing, trade relations as a major geopolitical problem. This is a politically motivated attempt to create a domestic political agenda here to somehow justify radical actions”, he noted.

The official described these actions as politically motivated, aimed at fuelling a domestic agenda to justify radical moves against the ruling Georgian Dream party.

“The Helsinki Commission no longer hides, and it is well-known that Chinese investments are their main issue with Georgia. A hearing will be held in Washington today, with Salome Zourabichvili and Tina Khidasheli as witnesses against Georgia. Joe Wilson and his allies state that over the past few years, the Georgian Dream party has weakened Georgia’s institutions and undermined its sovereignty by attracting Chinese investments”, he concluded.

Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi and Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party, on Wednesday underscored the importance of deepening relations with China, calling strategic partnership and economic cooperation with the country “very important for Georgia”.