Belt and Road Initiative offers great opportunities, says Georgia's vice-PM
By Guo Rong | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-04-16 09:00
A growing number of Chinese companies are becoming interested in exploring opportunities in Georgia.
Georgia received $600 million from Chinese companies up to 2017, and up to now Georgia has 160 active Chinese companies working in the Georgian market, Kumsishvili said.
Hualing Group invested in banking, the hospitality industry, real estate and an industrial park, Kumsishvili said.
CEFC China Energy, a Shanghai-based company that entered Georgia 18 months ago, acquired a free industrial zone from the Georgian government and now owns 85 percent, he said.
"We have four free industrial zones, and two of them belong to Chinese companies," Kumsishvili added. "I hope they will increase their investments in that direction. Chinese companies are welcome to our country."
On taxation, Kumsishvili said Georgia already has a very good business environment and it ranks eighth worldwide as the lowest taxation country.
"Last year, we even changed the mobility of the corporate profit tax, where companies paid the tax only on the distributed profits of the enterprise," he said. "Otherwise they do not have to pay that tax, which helps a lot."
Georgia only has six taxes, and the interaction between government and companies is 100 percent digital on the e-platform, he added.
The business environment in Georgia is very good in ease of doing business and Georgia ranks 16th on economic freedom by the Heritage Foundation, Kumsishvili said.
"So Georgia is very attractive, open and hospitable," he added.