China introduces visa-free visits for Georgian nationals
- 27 February, 11:15
China has dropped visa requirements for Georgian citizens. The citizens of the south Caucasus republic can now visit China for a period of up to thirty days, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said during a cabinet meeting on February 26.
Georgia introduced a visa-free regime for Chinese nationals in September 2023. The visa liberalization is the latest in a series of diplomatic agreements between the two countries.
Kobakhidze said that China’s new visa regulations regarding Georgian citizens was “an innovative and practical result” of the strategic partnership agreement signed between Georgia and China in July 2023, adding that the new rule would be enforced “in a matter of days”.
“This is an important decision, which will make it easier for our fellow citizens to travel to China and create new opportunities for the further development of political, economic, and cultural ties between Georgia and China,”Kobakhidze said.
Georgia’s parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili called on other countries to follow in China’s footsteps in introducing visa-free regimes for Georgians.
The relations between Georgia and China have been growing in recent years. Last year, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili came under fire for suggesting in an interview with French TV LCI that Chinese leader Xi should face persecution for the massacre of Uyghurs.
