Title:Trade, Investment and Transit between South Caucasus, China and EU under One Belt, One Road Initiative

　Speaker:Vakhtang Charaia (Tbilisi State University, Georgia)

Time:June 19, 2018, 14:30

Location:Room 418, Main Building

Speaker Profile:

　　Dr. Associated Prof. Vakhtang Charaia is the Head of TSU Center for Analysis and Forecasting; He is the Vice President at the Georgian Small and Medium Enterprise Association; Head of the Economics department of Young Scientists Council at Georgian National Academy of Sciences and Former TV anchor for analytical show – “Business Code”. Since Dec 2015 he is Affiliated Lecturer of Harvard Business School Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. At different times he studied and did his PhD researches at Tbilisi State University (Georgia), Passau University, University of Bremen (Germany), European University at St. Petersburg (Russia), Institute of Government Accounts and Finance (India), University of Tartu (Estonia) and George Washington University (USA).

　Introduction:

　　Study analyses the China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative opportunities and threats for China, EU and South Caucasus countries. International trade, foreign investments and transit corridors are taken as main factors for research; also a clash between China and the West for pursuing economic leadership is taken into account. Author suggests a new, alternative route for the OBOR initiative through Caucasus.