{"id":12551,"date":"2025-03-13T08:39:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T08:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/plans-for-a-chinese-port-in-the-black-sea-roil-georgia-politics\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T08:39:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T08:39:24","slug":"plans-for-a-chinese-port-in-the-black-sea-roil-georgia-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/plans-for-a-chinese-port-in-the-black-sea-roil-georgia-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Plans for a Chinese Port in the Black Sea Roil Georgia Politics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For more than a year, pro-Western marchers in Georgia, a former Soviet republic that borders Russia, have been accusing their government of allowing Moscow to increasingly reassert its sway over their country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But driving around this nation of 3.6 million people in the heart of the mountainous Caucasus region, the influence of another ambitious power becomes apparent. China has been stepping up its activities in the region in recent years, building infrastructure and expanding trade routes that it hopes will boost its economy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In central Georgia, workers from China are erecting soaring viaducts and cutting dozens of tunnels through hard rock to build the first modern highway to link the east and west of the country. In the north, a 5.5-mile tunnel is being bored through the mountains by China Railway Tunnel Group to expand an existing highway to Russia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">To the west, preparations are underway for another Chinese company, China Communications Construction Company, to develop Georgia\u2019s first deep-sea port on the Black Sea as part of Beijing\u2019s Belt and Road infrastructure and trade initiative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The port, as yet unnamed, is now at the center of a debate in Georgia and abroad about China\u2019s growing influence in the region and the Caucasus nation\u2019s pivot away from the West. Inflaming the situation is the fact that the project was stripped from a group of Georgian, European, and U.S. companies \u2014 the Anaklia Development Consortium \u2014 before eventually being promised to the Chinese company last May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Salome Zourabichvili, the former Georgian president who emerged last year as a leading voice for the pro-Western opposition, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/bm.ge\/en\/news\/presidents-statement-against-chinese-involvement-in-anaklia-port-project-serious-provocation-pm\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said the move<\/a> was like \u201cstabbing our relations with our American and European partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In July, a State Department official <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ralakbar\/status\/1805240542134997396\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said that awarding<\/a> the port project to the Chinese company was \u201cincompatible\u201d with wanting to join \u201cU.S. and E.U.-based international organizations.\u201d In 2019, the United States had billed the port as something that could \u201cprevent Georgia from falling prey to Russian or Chinese economic influence.\u201dLast week, Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepJoeWilson\/status\/1897463874892472743\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">criticized the decision<\/a>, saying it benefited China at the expense of American companies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Georgian government has said that the decision to hand the port to the Chinese company would ensure it was implemented \u201cat the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cChinese cargoes are of particular importance for the most effective operation of this port,\u201d Irakli Kobakhidze, Georgia\u2019s prime minister, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.interpressnews.ge\/en\/article\/131869-irakli-kobakhidze-the-winning-of-the-tender-by-the-chinese-company-guarantees-that-the-anaklia-project-will-be-implemented-at-the-highest-level\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> shortly after the announcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And some analysts see the country\u2019s pivot away from the West as a rational choice given the geopolitics of the region.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cGeorgia is trying to get more from China, the actor that is getting stronger in the region,\u201d said Dimitri Moniava, head of the Center for Strategic Communications, a research group in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Situated in the dilapidated former resort town of Anaklia, where packs of stray dogs now patrol the swampy grounds of abandoned hotels, the port is likely to transform international trade in the Caucasus and the broader region. For Georgia, the port would help develop the country as a regional transport hub.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For China, the port would become a gateway to the Caucasus, linking Asia with Europe across what it calls the \u201cmiddle corridor.\u201d It would allow Chinese companies to ship their goods from China via railways in Central Asia and across the Caspian to Europe, skirting Russia, which has been the target of Western sanctions because of the war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cGeorgia is a key link for the middle corridor and Anaklia port could be the pivotal last nail,\u201d Zhou Qian, China\u2019s ambassador to Georgia, said in an interview. \u201cGeorgia\u2019s location is very, very important\u201d for providing \u201cconnectivity between Europe and Asia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Georgian government has said that the details of the deal are still being figured out, but that the Chinese company will own 49 percent of the port, with Georgia holding the rest as a majority stake. The Georgian government says it expects the Chinese construction company to invest $600 million in the first phase.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">China Communications Construction Company did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Russia, which is still considered to be Georgia\u2019s main trading partner, could also be a major beneficiary of the project. Novorossiysk, the main Russian port on the Black Sea, has been hobbled by Western sanctions, and with the new Chinese-built routes, goods could flow into and out of Russia unimpeded across the Caucasus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The port situation highlights how the rivalry between China and the United States is growing in the region, pulling in smaller countries like Georgia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOn the one hand, you\u2019ll have China, which will be aligned with Russia<em class=\"css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0\">, <\/em>on the other you will have the West,\u201d said Ram Ben Tzion, the chief executive of Publican, which analyzes the evasion of trade restrictions. \u201cThis port is exactly at the crossroads of these two worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Projects like the Anaklia port have also become increasingly important for Chinese companies as economic growth slows in China, said Brad Parks, who studies Chinese lending and trade practices at the Center for Global Development, a think tank in Washington.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIt is really mostly about China dealing with its own economic weaknesses at home,\u201d Mr. Parks said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Anaklia Development Consortium had been doing dredging and other work as part of the port project when its contract was canceled in 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mamuka Khazaradze, the former head of the consortium, said he believed geopolitics was behind the decision by the governing Georgia Dream party to drop his company\u2019s contract. The party is run behind the scenes by <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/07\/02\/business\/georgia-oligarch-bidzina-ivanishvili.html\" title=\"\">Bidzina Ivanishvili<\/a>, a reclusive oligarch with long ties to Russia. Mr. Khazaradze was elected as an opposition member of Parliament in October but, like other members of the opposition, has been boycotting the legislature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Khazaradze said he had seen a hint of the shift over the port in 2017, when Mr. Ivanishvili summoned him for a meeting. \u201cHe asked: \u2018What are Americans doing in the Black Sea?\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cHe asked me to stop the project,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the first sign that these guys were changing the direction of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Khazaradze said he had invested more than $40 million into the project and refused to pull out. The government then opened a criminal case into money laundering against him and his partner, and then canceled the port contract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Anaklia Development Consortium fought back in a European arbitration court but last year <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/civil.ge\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/ADC-Media-Statement-ICC-Ruling-on-ADC-arbitration-claim-29-July-2024.docx-1.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">lost the case,<\/a> with the court saying the group had \u201cassumed the risk that the government would undermine the project.\u201d Another case in the Netherlands is pending.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Representatives of the Georgian government did not respond to requests for comment. In the past the government said the Anaklia Development Consortium was dropped because it had insufficient funds to complete the project. (Mr. Khazaradze has denied that.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Khazaradze then founded a political party called Lelo that has been organizing protests against the government, which won an election in October that has been contested by the country\u2019s highly fractured opposition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Giorgi Gakharia, who was prime minister when the Anaklia Development Consortium contract was canceled, also said Mr. Khazaradze and his partners did not have enough money to complete the project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey simply couldn\u2019t fulfill their obligations,&#8221; said Mr. Gakharia, who has since parted ways with Mr. Ivanishvili and is now siding with the opposition. In an interview, he said there had been no pressure from Mr. Ivanishvili to cancel the project.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For now, Anaklia remains derelict. A rusty yacht floats in the town\u2019s swampy marina, flanked by the rusty skeleton of what was going to be a Chinese-themed restaurant before it was abandoned a decade ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But trucks nearby are now hauling giant stones from across Georgia to use in the construction of a breakwater for the port. If all goes to plan, the site will be transformed in about six years into a bustling hub for up to 600,000 containers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Jemal Kvartskhava, who oversees a few dozen men bringing stones to the site and building accommodation for an expected surge of workers, said he didn\u2019t really care who built the port as long as it becomes operational.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis project is good,\u201d said Mr. Kvartskhava, 28. \u201cIt will bring new energy to the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/13\/world\/europe\/china-georgia-port.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For more than a year, pro-Western marchers in Georgia, a former Soviet republic that borders Russia, have been accusing their<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[4081,4077,853,4075,475,4080,288,98,4076,2764,476,4079,4078],"class_list":["post-12551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-anaklia-georgia","tag-bidzina","tag-black-sea","tag-china-communications-construction-co","tag-demonstrations","tag-georgia-georgian-republic","tag-government-contracts-and-procurement","tag-international-relations","tag-ivanishvili","tag-ports","tag-protests-and-riots","tag-salome","tag-zourabichvili"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Plans for a Chinese Port in the Black Sea Roil Georgia Politics - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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