RE: Georgia Returns to the Old New Silk Road24 Feb 2020 17:20
I drove along this new Chinese project in November. It's amazing what theyre doing. The road from Tblisi to Batumi is a slow and inefficient single laner which winds through mountains and goes directly through the center of every town and village. The chinese are building an excellent motorway adjecent to this road, despite extreme conditions and terrain. Village shops have chinese signs hanging in their windows to attach business from the workers. It's a big deal.
Adding to this the ports at Batumi and Poti are absolutely garbage. It took about 18 hours to load the RORO cargo at Batumi. No infrastructure whatsoever. Corrupt officials. Angry Lorry drivers. Its a really grim affair. Its pretty stark considering the Ports in Turkmenbashi and Baku and shiny and new and run like clockwork.
The Chinese are coming and the Georgians are being forced to smarten up. The Chinese don't generally attach any political conditions to their infra projects but you'd better not start creaming contracts or putting a block on their plans.
I don't know what this means for us but I'm sure the tinpot Georgian Gov has less power than they think they have.