As an important hub on the ancient Silk Road, Georgia has a history of over 8000 years in wine production and is known as one of the world's wine birthplaces, as well as one of the world's major wine exporting countries. Nowadays, the aroma of Georgian grape wine is spreading to a broader market through the platform of the CIIE. Georgia is China's first free trade partner country in the Eurasian region, and China has been Georgia's largest export market and third largest trading partner for several consecutive years. The huge consumer market in China has brought tangible development opportunities and dividends to Georgia. As one of the guest countries of honor at the 8th CIIE, Georgia has shown greater achievements on this international stage. Georgia's Ambassador to China, Badada Kalandaze, stated that the CIIE is an important opportunity for the world and an excellent platform for Georgian products to win more favor. This not only helps to expand the trade scale between Georgia and China, but also opens the door for us to enter other countries' markets, "said the Georgian booth at the 7th China International Import Expo. (Image provided by the China International Import Expo Bureau) Ancient wine making vessels become a highlight. "Hometown of Wine" and "8000 Year History of Wine Making"... At the 6th China International Import Expo, two large pottery jars were placed in the center of the Georgian National Pavilion. This Georgian ancient wine making vessel called "Qvevri" has attracted much attention like installation art. Why is the booth set up so carefully? Because the CIIE has become an important platform for Georgian wine to enter the Chinese market. Data shows that Georgian wine has seen a significant increase in export sales in China in recent years, with a market share of 1% of China's imported wine by 2022. During this growth process, the CIIE played a very important role. At the first Expo, Fenjiu, a Chinese Baijiu brand, joined hands with Georgia by signing "sister liquor". Through the CIIE, Georgia's unique products such as wine, mineral water, honey, and dried fruits are "flying" into thousands of households in China at an unprecedented speed. Kalandaze admitted that the CIIE is "one of the most prominent events in the field of economy and trade", providing Georgia with an important platform to showcase its high-quality products to China and even the world. In 2024, Georgia made its debut with a record breaking lineup of 32 companies, and this year as the guest of honor, the scale is even larger. Georgia is one of the first countries to support the initiative of jointly building the "the Belt and Road". As early as 2015, China and Georgia signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening cooperation in jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt. In July 2023, China Georgia relations will be upgraded to a strategic partnership, and the two governments will sign the "the Belt and Road" cooperation plan. Kalandaze regards the establishment of the strategic partnership as a "key node for further development of bilateral relations" and believes that cooperation between the two sides will become "more active and dynamic, covering almost all fields" thereafter. Driven by this momentum, the bilateral import and export volume of goods between China and Georgia from January to July 2025 was 1526.6406 million US dollars, an increase of 261.8935 million US dollars compared to the same period last year, a year-on-year increase of 20.2%. Kalandaze pointed out that the CIIE has provided a broad platform for trade exchanges between China and Georgia, injecting new vitality into the cooperation between the business communities of both sides. Through the window of the CIIE, high-quality products from Georgia have been able to enter the Chinese market, and high-quality products from China have also been showcased in the Georgian market. This two-way flow has effectively promoted economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. As an important bridge connecting the East and the West in history, Georgia has always been an important channel for cultural exchange and trade between Europe and Asia due to its geographical advantages. Kalandaze emphasized that Georgia is leveraging China's support to build a "middle corridor" and continuously improve the level of Eurasian connectivity. Beyond commercial resonance, in addition to economic and trade cooperation, Georgia also values cultural resonance with Chinese civilization. After taking office in China, Kalandaze was pleasantly surprised to discover that the two countries share many similarities in terms of family values, hospitality, and respect for historical and cultural heritage. He himself is deeply in love with Chinese cuisine, especially Xiang cuisine and Beijing roast duck. This love will continue to extend at the 8th CIIE. The Georgian exhibition hall not only carefully arranged its booths to showcase its economic potential and investment opportunities, but also brought splendid ethnic dances and music to the streets of Shanghai, allowing cultural exchanges to go beyond the exhibition hall and reach the hearts of more Chinese people. Kalandaze revealed that becoming the guest of honor at the 8th China International Import Expo has brought more surprises to Georgia, which is an important opportunity to further strengthen the relationship between Georgia and China. China is undergoing amazing changes, with rapid economic growth and various fields advancing rapidly. We look forward to further strengthening cooperation in areas such as free energy, clean energy, and green energy through the CIIE platform