On April 21, high-level meetings were held with Zhuang Rongwen, director of China’s Cyberspace Administration. The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development met Rongwen.
According to information published by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, the meeting with Rongwen focused on the strategic partnership between the two countries and the development of economic ties. According to the Ministry’s press release, the Georgian side highlighted its goal of strengthening Georgia’s role as a digital transit hub, connecting Asia and Europe as much as possible.
According to the published information, during the meeting, the Georgian side emphasized the “development of large-scale data centers,” and the sides “discussed cooperation opportunities in this direction.” Notably, the discussion also covered cooperation in Artificial Intelligence. Recently, cooperation in artificial intelligence has been one of the key topics of discussion between Chinese and Georgian authorities. In November 2025, within the framework of an official visit to China, Georgia’s Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Development and Reform Commission of China on cooperation in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
On April 21, the director of China’s Cyberspace Administration also met the Minister of Justice of Georgia, Paata Salia. It was noted that strengthening relations with the Cyberspace Administration of China will “deepen the two countries’ potential in the fields of cybersecurity and innovation.” According to the Ministry’s press release, the sides discussed the use of artificial intelligence, the implementation of mobile applications, and digital identity projects.
The visit of Zhuang Rongwen demonstrates that official Tbilisi seeks to develop cooperation with Beijing in the field of digital policy. However, the institution with which representatives of Georgian ministries met is an instrument of the Chinese Communist Party’s system of state control and censorship.
The Cyberspace Administration of China – “Internet Censor”
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) was established in 2011 as a subordinate office of the State Council Information Office. The CAC is responsible for cybersecurity and regulating internet content. Its functions include the administration, coordination, and supervision of online content. Additionally, it approves and licenses online news reporting, including for foreign institutions.
According to Freedom House, the Chinese government maintains one of the most sophisticated state censorship systems in the world. The CAC reports to the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, a party body directly controlled by Xi Jinping.
Zhuang Rongwen was appointed as CAC director in 2018. He has been associated with Xi Jinping since the early years of his career. From 1995 to 2000, while Xi Jinping served as Deputy Party Chief of Fujian, Rongwen held senior posts in the provincial economic planning committee. In 2015, Rongwen joined the CAC, and later that year, he was appointed Vice Minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s Propaganda Department. Since 2018, in parallel with his role as CAC director, he has served as Deputy Director of the Central Propaganda Department.
Thus, Zhuang Rongwen, with whom ministers of Ivanishvili’s government met, is linked to China’s system of political control and party propaganda. At the same time, the Cyberspace Administration of China—an institution with which Georgia’s Ministers of Justice, Economy, and Sustainable Development have expressed willingness to cooperate—is responsible for overseeing the country’s internet and digital space. High-level meetings with Zhuang Rongwen suggest that intensified relations with China may serve the narrow political interests of the ruling party. Strengthened cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party increases the risk of introducing authoritarian-style governance practices in Georgia.
