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The dangerous illusion of the Georgian Dream’s “multi-vectoral” foreign policy

„Civic IDEA” is responding to Prime Minister Kobakhidze’s statement, wherein he paralleled Georgia’s partnership with the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China. Kobakhidze acknowledged perceived weaknesses in recent Georgian-American relations, attributing them to the American side while highlighting China’s increasing economic interests in Georgia. This statement aligns with experts’ views on the decline of Georgian-American relations under Georgian Dream’s governance. However, Kobakhidze proposed enhancing cooperation with China as a potential solution.

Facts Only:

• The US-Georgian strategic partnership is strengthened by the Strategic Partnership Charter.

• We have only a joint statement regarding the Sino-Georgia strategic partnership, which represents neither agreement nor binds the PRC in any way toward Georgia.

• The preservation of Georgia’s territorial integrity and its non-recognition policy heavily relies on foreign policy backing from the US and the EU.

• In contrast, the PRC has consistently withheld support for the crucial UN resolutions concerning the occupation of Georgian territories.

• Georgia’s Defense and Security Sector and its national system for deterring Russian aggression predominantly and almost entirely depend on the United States’ political, financial, and professional support.

• Despite the ongoing aggression in Ukraine, China remains a strategic partner of Russia, thereby effectively endorsing the aggressor’s occupation policies.

• Following Russia’s aggression in 2008, the United States played a pivotal role as the primary advocate, donor, and lobbyist in rallying support. This support helped rescue the country from the humanitarian, economic, and financial crises resulting from the war, thereby ensuring its stability.

• Following the Russian aggression in 2008, when the resolution on the Status of IDPs and refugees from Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia was adopted in 2009, the PRC abstained from voting. Disappointingly, in 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the country voted against the resolution along with Russia.

• Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when small economies faced particular peril, American assistance programs remained steadfast without interruption, while China’s already modest investment package declined, falling below zero.

We believe the Prime Minister’s statement overlooks Georgia’s security and foreign policy priorities in favor of internal political party interests, driven by foreign policy populism and a failure to acknowledge the evident disparity in support for Georgia’s national interests between the United States and China.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on the backdrop of the erosion of European security architecture, the Georgian government chose a policy of strategic ambiguity. On one side, it expresses a desire to join Western institutions under pressure exerted by citizens, while on the other, it enhances trade and economic ties with Russia while pursuing a strategic partnership with China.

Abstract clichés of international relations cannot be used as a legitimizer of the mentioned foreign policy behavior. Mr. Kobakhidze’s statement that he seeks “to [equally] deepen the strategic partnership both with the United States of America and China.”, in the best case, is a naive wish to paint the desired as reality and in the worst case, evil populism sold to the Georgian population. In the Great Power Competition era, the possibility of equally deepening relations with the US and China is decreasing for any actor, specifically for a relatively smaller country.

The possibility of balancing Russia’s interests in Georgia through China’s influence is even more absurd. Even before the war in Ukraine, China-Russia interaction was based on a cooperation-competition-reciprocity formula, and since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, these two countries have been acting in coordination towards a final revision of the global order, potentially resulting in the disappearance of countries akin to Georgia from the map.

In reality, the country’s sovereignty and security issues serve the Georgian Dream’s party agenda of maintaining power. Unlike Western democracies (which, while cooperating with various countries, are often limited in knowledge of the content of political system), the People’s Republic of China engages with any regime, particularly in countries of the Global South.

Hence, there is no mere chance that as domestic authoritarianism in Georgia has intensified, the Georgian Dream has seen closer ties with China as a vital foreign policy lifeline. This specific example once again proves that the government, left behind an unbalanced institutional control and accountability, represents a tremendous threat to the future of Georgia. In the presence of the Georgian Dream’s uncontrolled majority, there is a high probability that we are left with authoritarianism “legitimized” by the communist party, thereby solidifying both poverty and political elites.

The Civil.ge article “Chinese Companies in Georgia: Sanctions, Delays, and Concerns” references Civic IDEA and its China Watch reports showcasing the misconduct of notorious Chinese companies operating in Georgia’s infrastructure sector, shady dealings with the Georgian business and political elites and threats to national security. 

Below, we offer a brief excerpt from the article mentioning that.

“Civic Idea found several red flags:
China Road and Bridge Corporation – The World Bank has sanctioned the China Road and Bridge Corporation for fraudulent practices in connection with the Philippines’ National Road Improvement and Management Program (NRIMP 1). China State Construction Engineering Corporation – The World Bank blacklisted China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. in the Philippines for its involvement in collusive practices and a corruption scandal involving the Philippine NRIMP 1 Program. In 2020, the Trump administration accused CSCEC of cyber espionage and banned U.S.-registered companies from becoming shareholders in CSCEC. HUNAN ROAD AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION GROUP CO LTD – Due to their poor construction, the 328-meter Tuojiang Bridge in China collapsed in 2009. As a result, 64 people died, 22 were injured, and the economic loss reached 39.747 million yuan (about 6 million U.S. dollars). 20 local government officials and HNRB board members were sentenced to 19 years in prison in China for bribery, malfeasance, negligence, and racketeering. In Georgia, the workers complained about poor working conditions and went on strike several times. There were deadly incidents, too, notably in June and August 2023. 
Other concerning companies

The Civic Idea also points to other companies that are not part of the large projects, but whose active involvement in Georgia, they say, should be the cause of concern:

Nuctech Company Limited (serves the borders of Georgia with a scanning system) – In 2009, the European Union accused Nuctech Company Ltd. of dumping and imposed anti-dumping duties on imports of Nuctech scanning systems. In the United States, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) initially banned Nuctech’s equipment in 2014 and, based on its international experience, presented a detailed review of the company’s misdeeds in a secret document, which led to restrictions on its services by various countries. One of the last was Lithuania, whose authorities officially decided in 2021 to ban the supply of Nuctech equipment to three international airports in Lithuania.

CEFC China Energy Co – Ye Jianming, former head of CEFC China Energy Co, was charged in the US in 2017 with several crimes, including bribery. In 2018, the Chinese state investment company took control of CEFC’s foreign assets after Jianming’s disappearance. Despite CEFC officially declaring bankruptcy in 2020, Georgia’s government and courts, allegedly influenced by individuals tied to the businessman Ivane Chkhartishvili and Bidzina Ivanishvili, have not acknowledged the bankruptcy documents. The Poti Free Industrial Zone, owned 75% by CEFC, remains in the company’s possession.”

For more information, please visit 

https://civil.ge/archives/578206?fbclid=IwAR3mLzI2Y_NF6vHllydYcRY4veHGzgZ6ZvAvIv64-Yyj_fu3GBugNK5dQFU

In recent days, the Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia once again attacked representatives of civil society organizations. This time, Civic Idea, Soviet Past Research Laboratory (Sovlab) and Tolerance Center of the Public Defender became the targets of the attack.

Attempts to discredit civil society organizations are taking place amidst the heavy social background, poverty and inflation, which remain the most painful and unsolvable problems for the population under the conditions of the long-term rule of Georgian Dream. Instead of offering a positive agenda to the public ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections, the authorities are trying to run a negative anti-Western election campaign and mobilize its voters with the false rhetoric of fighting the country’s “enemies”.

It is obvious that another wave of attacks on civil society organizations by the authorities is part of the pre-election political propaganda, repeats one of the main narratives of Russian disinformation and serves the purpose of portraying civil society organizations as enemies. Unfortunately, this is not the first attempt by the ruling party to discredit civil society organizations. The authorities used similar information attack before the 2020 parliamentary elections as well. In the spring of 2023, Georgian Dream unsuccessfully tried to label all civil society organizations receiving international funding as foreign agents by passing a Russian law.

Provoking controversy in the society, using political persecution against specific people or organizations, conducting a hate campaign against them and trying to mobilize their own voters creates the impression that Georgian Dream is trying to achieve its narrow partisan goals at the expense of state interests. Hostile rhetoric towards civil society organizations contradicts both the constitutional values of a democratic state and the demand of the European Union towards taking steps against polarization.

Civil society organizations call on the authorities to stop the targeted hate campaign, to take steps for establishing partnership and business communication with them, and to refuse to instrumentalize polarization in the pre-election campaign. 

Signatory organizations:

Democracy Research Institute
Rights Georgia
Eastern European Center for Multiparty Democracy (EECMD)
Green Alternative
Court Watch
Media Development Foundation (MDF)
Democracy Defenders
Liberal Academy Tbilisi
Soviet Past Research Laboratory (Sovlab)
Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)
Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA)
Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics
Caucasus Open Space (COS)
Center for Media, Information and Social Studies (CMIS)
Human Rights Center
Governance Monitoring Center (GMC)
Europe-Georgia Institute (EGI)
Franklin Club

Doublethink Lab

On Jan. 22, Kremlin-funded Sputnik Georgia published an article quoting ruling Georgian Dream Party MP Mikhail Sarjveladze calling attention to funding links between Taiwan-based civil society organization (CSO) Doublethink Lab (DTL) and the Georgian NGO, Civic IDEA.

The article is one of many in Georgia-focused media suggesting that in receiving funding from Taiwanese organizations, including DTL, Civic IDEA undermined its impartiality and ability to conduct objective research into the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s relationship with Georgia.

In response, DTL would like to clarify our position and the nature of the relationship, which is limited to engagement around our flagship China Index project quantifying and visualizing PRC influence globally, and a one-off grant for related research.

DTL is devoted to strengthening democratic resilience and resisting digital authoritarianism globally, and as such we independently set and control the nature and direction of our research.

One aspect of DTL’s mission is to conduct research into PRC foreign influence and interference. For example, we are currently running a project to investigate Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) in the Indo-Pacific region. The project’s goal is to gather evidence on tactics, techniques, and procedures of FIMI, so that governments and civil society platforms can make informed decisions about the best way to handle the threats and challenges these pose.

Similarly, the China Index aims to provide data-driven insights on vectors of PRC influence, so that policymakers and CSOs can make evidence-based decisions about how to more sustainably manage their relationships with the PRC. The Index also enables stakeholders to compare the scale, nature and impact of PRC influence across regions and between countries, and provides a basis for more in-depth research.

Like many CSOs, we are an independent non-profit organization that sources funding from a diverse range of donors and sectors while taking vigorous steps to maintain the integrity and quality of our methodologies and research processes. This includes ensuring that our funders do not influence our choice of research partners, and choosing not to affiliate with governments or political parties.

In this case, the DTL-coordinated China in the World (CITW) network engaged Civic IDEA as a China Index Regional Partner (RP), covering various Eastern European and Central Asian countries, for two rounds of China Index research, in 2021 and 2023. Civic IDEA also applied via open-call for funding to conduct related. in-depth research for the CITW 2022 Community Fund, and secured a grant to do so from the CITW board.

Through the China Index, we have worked with more than 200 such individuals and institutions — RPs and their local experts involved in gathering data on PRC influence in their regions.

DTL initially selected Civic IDEA to be a China Index RP because of the outstanding quality of their work, and their expertise in studying foreign influence operations, principally those of Russia and the PRC, in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. For the forthcoming (second) iteration of the China Index, Civic IDEA again responded to the open call for RPs and was selected for similar reasons.

Civic IDEA’s anti-corruption research related to PRC companies’ activities in Georgia, particularly following the signing of a strategic partnership between the two countries in July 2023, is of critical importance to understanding the nature of PRC influence, and specifically funding allocation decisions made by Georgia’s current government and ruling party.

While DTL plays no part in funding this endeavor, we wish Civic IDEA and its partners every success in conducting their research, and continuing to advocate for stricter scrutiny and due diligence around the Georgian government’s dealings with PRC entities.

Further information on China Index methodology can be found on the China Index website and via this introductory video.

About Doublethink Lab

Established in 2019, Doublethink Lab (Doublethink) is a civil society organization devoted to strengthening democratic resilience and resisting digital authoritarianism. Doublethink’s strengths lie in the ability to combine a diverse set of research approaches in the social, behavioral, and computational sciences to study state-funded propaganda campaigns, psychological warfare, and related information operations. As coordinator of the China in the World (CITW) network, Doublethink seeks to foster cross-regional collaboration between academics, democracy movements, digital communities, like-minded CSOs, and experts on the People’s Republic of China. Its flagship project is the China Index.

About China In The World (CITW)

In 2019, Doublethink Lab and partners established the China In The World (CITW) network to support and unite stakeholders researching the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s global influence, improve cross-regional awareness of related challenges, and strengthen democratic resilience worldwide. The network coordinates publication of the China Index, the first global initiative to measure and compare the PRC’s influence in various countries.

Link 👇

https://medium.com/doublethinklab/dtl-statement-in-response-to-georgian-dream-party-mp-statement-regarding-funding-for-civic-idea-44a92b9beddb

To keep the public informed, we are addressing the baseless accusations propagated by the Speaker of the Parliament and endorsed by the members of the Georgian Dream party against Civic IDEA and its founder, Tinatin Khidasheli. Although our initial response to Speaker’s remarks was promptly conveyed to an attentive audience on the same day by two long TV interviews (see hyperlinks for TV Pirveli & Formula), we’ve since endured a 4-day continuous incessant, aggressive allegations and insults. In our forthcoming response, we aim to provide a more factual and less emotionally charged counterargument.

First and foremost, it is crucial to emphasize that “Civic IDEA” remains committed to uncovering any government involvement in shady dealings with the companies marred by damaged reputations, scandals, and international sanctions for corruption. We will persist in conducting thorough, evidence-based research, dedicated to keeping the public well- informed. Clearly lacking substantiated evidence, the Georgian Dream resorts to direct attacks, threats, and smear campaigns orchestrated by MPs, Tbilisi City Mayer and government controlled TV channels, as well as trolls as their primary tools. Nevertheless, we firmly believe that such tactics cannot intimidate or silence us.

We have chosen the name Civic IDEA – Civic Initiative for Democratic, Euro- Atlantic Choice, for a reason. All our projects and activities align with the objectives outlined in this title and the democratic, Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people. Therefore, we scrutinize and assess the government’s actions that appear to distance the country from the West and align it more closely with Russia.

What we say and how the government responds:

Over the past seven years, we have consistently brought to light the government’s shady undertakings, substantiating claims of corruption with concrete facts and documents while unveiling the falsehoods and misinformation propagated by them.

1. All Chinese companies, to which the government of Georgia is granting multi- million dollar contracts, have a damaged reputation worldwide and can be found on the blacklists of various IFIs and our partner countries.The government alleges our reports are anti-state, yet it offers no response regarding engaging in contracts with sanctioned companies—just an attempt to deflect by merely sewing labels.

2. For seven years, we warned the government to sever ties with the highly discredited company “Sinohydro,” presenting numerous pieces of evidence. We highlighted the issues they caused in other countries, which we foresaw happening to us as well. Instead of providing reasoned responses, they labeled us as “enemies.” Nevertheless, the outcome unfolded precisely as we had warned. In January 2024, they had to terminate the contract with “Sinohydro”, though proving massive incompetence once again. As a result, “Sinohydro” sued the state in international arbitration, which already cost the country’s budget an additional million and a half in legal fees.

3. We have a similar situation with another company – “China Railway 23rd Bureau Group Co“, which also took the government to international arbitration in November 2023. Again, if the government had followed our advice, even once in five years, we would have avoided the problems occurring today, as well as an additional waste of budgetary funds.

4. Additionally, over the course of five years, we have consistently raised concerns regarding the contractors selected for the construction of the Rikoti Bypass. We have published several reports where we have described and substantiated the “business fraud” by these companies in different countries. We sought clarification on the rationale behind the authorities’ confidence that these contractors would conduct their work in Georgia with integrity and professionalism despite facing lawsuits and disputes on nearly every continent. Unfortunately, our warnings went unheard; instead, we were labeled as “enemies” and deemed “anti-state elements who do not have a motherland.”

In the year 2023, a series of incidents unfolded with massive landslides and parts of mountains collapsing at various construction sites. This resulted in additional costs of tens of millions to the budget, prompting the initiation of new tenders. if the government had only followed our advice and made companies to environmental assessment plans, even once in five years, we would have avoided the problems occurring today as well as an additional waste of budgetary funds.

There are dozens of such examples, and we do not even talk about the notorious high corruption case of CEFC involving current and former PMs of Georgia. Unfortunately, every time, we were found to be right and all the facts and evidence were confirmed, with which we appealed to the authorities and called for a shift in policy.

Prior to the recent bout of hysteria, we methodically laid out indisputable facts to the court of public opinion, thereby unveiling the falsehoods and manipulation at play. We emphasized that, despite the government’s continuous demagoguery, Chinese investments in Georgia remain minimal. Over the last decade, the PRC has frequently failed to secure a spot in the top ten investors, contributing only 2 to 5 percent to the overall investment portfolio (based on our analysis derived solely from the National Statistics Office of Georgia). The strategic partnership, declared in July, is essentially political, and regardless of the insult and threats from the various officials of the Georgian Dream party at various levels, it cannot magically transform into a remarkable and prosperous economic upswing.

Finally, we would like to advise Ivanishvili’s puppets, before they shoot arrows at territorial integrity, to first look at the strategic partnership statement with the PRC, where, for some reason, the Russian occupation was completely “overlooked”. Furthermore, they should delve into the PRC voting at the UN Georgia IDP resolution. We are confident that many of them may not be familiar with this topic and will find it quite surprising – a matter we have previously discussed in our writings.

Why did the speaker of the parliament and the parliamentary majority get angry? Why now, in January 2024, when Civic IDEA has been exposing the alleged corrupt ties between the government and Chinese companies, along with the Prime Minister’s political corruption, for seven years?

There is a simple answer to this question – Anaklia Deep Sea Port.

It appears that the government is currently working on the decision to grant the Anaklia port tender to the Chinese company. Consequently, they are well aware of the anticipated public discontent stemming from such a choice and, in their view, are taking preemptive measures. The Georgian Dream acknowledges that Civic IDEA stands as the sole organization in the country dedicated to combating strategic corruption and safeguarding the nation’s strategic interests for the past seven years. Consequently, they anticipate the most informed and justified criticism from us. Our perspectives are not only heard and read domestically but also resonate with our Western partners. Hence, the GD members are laying the groundwork to dismiss our criticism by labeling us “Taiwan lobbyists or agents” rather than providing substantive arguments in response.

Additionally, we urge Mikheil Sarjveladze1 to provide a precise explanation of his threat regarding “the Georgian authorities not accepting the financing of a Georgian organization from Taiwan… it is against the vital interests of the state and we will not tolerate such a behaviors under no circumstances.” We are waiting for his answer and explanations of what it means and how to understand ” not tolerate such a behaviors under no circumstances.” It constitutes a clear threat to an independent civil society organization, and it is particularly sad when such a statement comes from the chairman of the Human Rights Committee. Unsurprisingly, one of the primary propaganda outlets for the Kremlin, “Sputnik,” has eagerly disseminated this information. Let us remind you that the head of “Civic IDEA” was the only high-ranking official in the country whose dismissal was openly demanded by the Kremlin, on a deputy MFA press conference (refer to Karasin’s press conference in the spring of 2016). This is how Mr. Karasin spoke about than Georgia’s Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli addressing PM’s Special envoy – “Georgia’s Defense Minister urged the entire world that the civilized nations should unite against the Russian threat. We do not endorse such statements. We hold back, but our patience also has its limits.”

Here we must state unequivocally:

– Surprisingly enough, we are not the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, therefore we do not express a position on the recognition or non-recognition of any state;

– Thus neither Civic IDEA nor Tinatin Khidasheli has ever made a statement about the recognition of Taiwan’s independence;

– Surprisingly enough, we no longer at the Ministry of Defense either, so any insinuation that Tinatin Khidasheli had access to secret documents eight years ago (incidentally unrelated to Taiwan or the PRC, as they were not among the ministry’s partners at that time) is completely irrelevant to our current activities. Bringing up this topic out of context is a standard propaganda tactic.

– We are also engaged in educational activities and can educate interested MPs on the difference between “one China policy” and “one China principle”, positions and recognitions aired by Georgia’s western partners;

– Yes, Civic IDEA has partnership relations with organizations in Taiwan. Neither Imedi TV nor Rustavi 2 discovered this information. It is completely open and available on our website. Also, on our webpage, you will read that the partners of the international conference, which we hosted in Tbilisi in October 2023 and was attended by leading experts from more than 30 countries, were the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, together with the NATO Contact-Point Embassies in Georgia, the Embassy of Great Britain, the Embassy of Poland, the Visegrad Fund, FNF and NED.

– Furthermore, our webpage contains details about our visits to Taiwan and the panel discussions we conducted there. A more attentive read of our page would reveal that December 2023 was not our only or first visit to Taiwan.

– Finally, also on our page, you would have seen that we are participating in a very large international project run by our Taiwanese partner DTL, where Civic IDEA, leveraging the reputation and professionalism of its experts, was tasked to conduct research and analysis of the PRC activities in 13 countries across the globe.

– Finally, the statement “Taiwan is financing you” is incorrect. Unlike countries such as the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, and the USA, where Civic IDEA has received direct funding from their respective governments, we have never received financial support from the Taiwanese state. Our collaborations have been with private, independent organizations in Taiwan, and we genuinely anticipate that this partnership will endure in the future. If our proposed initiatives receive support and approval again, these organizations will allocate funding accordingly.