China’s 69th Anniversary Celebration in Tbilisi
On Friday, September 28, the Chinese Embassy hosted a lavish reception to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The event opened with remarks by Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Ji Yanchi. Vice Prime Minister Maya Tskitishvili also spoke to the crowd of Chinese and international diplomats, uniformed military officials from Georgia and China, Georgian and Chinese media representatives, and various political and social elite.
“We have a very significant friendship. China was one of the first countries to recognize Georgia's independence 27 years ago, and Georgia was one of the first countries to join, with great enthusiasm, the presidential Belt and Road Initiative,” said Tskitishvili. She also emphasized the importance of Chinese companies working in Georgia and possibilities for increasing exports of Georgian products to the Chinese market. The introduction of the reception also included a short video showing examples of Chinese-Georgian cooperation, and a performance by a Georgian military brass band.
The anniversary reception took place at the Hotels & Preference Hualing Tbilisi, near Tbilisi Sea. The reception was held in the first-floor ballroom, an opulent setting with bright reds and golds, tables overflowing with food, staff scurrying around clearing tables and refilling serving dishes, all offset by two enormous chandeliers. On opposite sides of the room were two large video screens which broadcast tourist sites in China. Political celebrities such as Davit Usupashvili were in attendance alongside popular figures like Georgian-Ukrainian fashion model Margo Luchko. Approximately one third of the attendees were Chinese, and the others were a mix of Georgian, Russian, and other foreign guests. The north end of the room was a VIP area, sectioned off with a red velvet rope, where a cohort of Chinese officials chatted. Most guests wore a bright red pin gifted at the entrance.
The food was a fusion of Georgian and Chinese cuisine: plates of Georgian cheeses garnished with dried fruit, fried prawns, stir fried noodles, and Chinese dumplings. One Georgian guest leaned over to her 10-year old son, wearily eyeing a Chinese dumpling, and reassured him “Just try it – it’s like Chinese khinkali.”
By 9pm, there were more staff than guests. As visitors trickled out, they were handed a gift bag of small souvenirs and were encouraged to take home a book from a selection on topics including Chinese history and the communist party, available in Chinese, English, and Russian.
In November, several Georgian companies will present their products at the Shanghai Forum in China. Tskitishvili expressed her hope that, as a result of participation in the forum, companies will be able to increase cooperation with Chinese partners and achieve success in the Chinese market. An official visit of the Georgian Prime Minister to the People's Republic of China is planned within the scope of the forum.
In a later interview, Tskitishvili expanded, “Our relationship has strong potential. I was in China recently and it was a great honor for me to meet with H.E. Hu Chunhua, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China. We discussed many important issues during the visit, but the most essential and remarkable part was the hospitality I felt during there. We greatly appreciate our relationship and we would be glad if these relations developed further.”
Similar anniversary celebrations were held by Chinese diplomatic missions around the world, including in London, Tokyo, Doha, Islamabad, Khartoum, Mexico City, Pyongyang, and others.
In Tbilisi, the anniversary celebrations continued this week with an orchestral concert on October 2 titled “Silk Road Sound – Georgia,” organized by the Chinese Embassy.
By Samantha Guthrie