BANNER: Screenshots from the China News Telegram channel of posts promoting China over the United States. (Source: China News/archive, left; China News/archive, right)

The DFRLab analyzed how Georgian pro-Kremlin and pro-government Facebook pages and Telegram channels promote the government’s pivot to enhancing relations with China. We analyzed twelve Facebook pages and thirty-one Telegram channels to examine portrayals of China in Georgian information spaces. Additionally, we reviewed content from China News, which publishes pro-China content in Georgian on Facebook, Telegram, and TikTok. We found that China is portrayed as an economic and military superpower and is seen as an alternative strategic partner to the United States.

The Georgian government deepened its relations with China following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Despite broad international sanctions against Russia, Georgia has implemented only financial sanctions. It also lifted visa restrictions for Russian citizens and established direct flights with Russia. In this context, the Georgian government has faced criticism from Western partners for its lukewarm support for Ukraine.

In July 2023, then-Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and announced a strategic partnership between the two countries. Garibashvili thanked President Xi for China’s Belt and Road Initiative and reaffirmed Georgia’s strong support for the One China policy, which asserts that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. Western governments, local watchdog organizations, and think tanks criticized Georgia’s warming relations with China, assessing it as a risk to Georgia’s democratic development and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. While presenting Georgian Dream’s election program on October 8, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said the party aims to deepen its strategic cooperation with China, reboot relations with the United States and European Union, and pursue a “pragmatic policy” toward Russia.

On May 29, 2024, Georgia announced that a Chinese-Singaporean consortium won the bid to construct Georgia’s Anaklia Deep Sea Port. One of the consortium members, China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), was blacklisted by the US Department of Commerce for building military-purpose artificial islands in the South China Sea, according to a report from Transparency International Georgia. Another consortium member and subsidiary of CCCC, China Road and Bridge Corporation, was debarred by the World Bank in 2009 and 2017 for fraud. The Anaklia Deep Sea Port significantly affects Georgia’s economy and is strategically important for the broader Black Sea region’s security and trade. As a key transit hub within the Middle Corridor, it will connect Europe and Asia, enhancing regional connectivity and offering a strategic alternative to the northern route through Russia. On June 26, 2024, during a US House foreign affairs subcommittee hearing on Georgia, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Jim O’Brien said that Georgia’s adoption of the foreign agents law and awarding of the Anaklia port contract to a Chinese company would “jeopardize the path towards the EU and NATO.”

The DFRLab examined various Facebook pages and Telegram channels to better understand the online narratives surrounding Georgia’s relations with China. We applied two approaches for selecting the pages and channels. First, we included pro-government and pro-Russia actors in Georgia who have a documented history of spreading disinformation. Second, we included channels previously flagged in Georgian research examining pro-China propaganda, particularly 2023 research by Civic Idea, a prominent Georgian think tank focusing on Chinese influence in Georgia and 2024 research into pro-Chinese propaganda messages published within the Counter-disinformation Innovation Bootcamp.

The DFRLab analyzed China-related content on twelve Facebook pages belonging to pro-government media channels and government-affiliated political parties. Using CrowdTangle’s historical data function, we downloaded content posted between February 22, 2022, and July 10, 2024, that contains the keywords “China” and “Chinese” in Georgian. In total, these pages published 1,131 posts using these keywords. The limitation of this method is that it is not exhaustive, and the pages may have published other posts related to China using different keywords due to the peculiarities of Georgian grammar. Most of the China-related posts were published by pro-government media channels “POSTV – ახალი ამბები” (“POSTV – News”) with 221 posts, and “IMEDINEWS” with 164 posts, followed by the Facebook page of the government satellite political party “ხალხის ძალა / People’s Power” with 158 posts.

Posting activity peaked three times: in August 2022, July 2023, and May 2024. The first peak coincided with Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on August 2, 2022, with posts mainly promoting China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The July 2023 peak aligned with then-Prime Minister Garibashvili’s visit to China and the announcement of a strategic partnership between the two countries. The May 2024 peak occurred when the Chinese-Singaporean company won the Anaklia Deep Sea Port bid.

Content posted in April was also examined to understand what narratives circulated about China during the widespread protests opposing the foreign agents law. The DFRLab identified three key narratives promoting the Georgia-China partnership.

First, China was portrayed in contrast to the United States and the West as a superpower that respects Georgia’s sovereignty. At least five pages promoted statements from the Chinese Ambassador to Georgia, Zhou Qian, claiming that “the law of transparency is an internal policy of the country. By not interfering in the internal politics of Georgia, we show respect for the country’s sovereignty.” This was promoted alongside criticisms of the Georgian Dream-led government issued by Western countries following the implementation of the foreign agents law.

The Facebook page of the Georgian Dream satellite party People’s Power contrasted the attitudes of the West with those of China. They criticized the United States for setting conditions for the Georgian Dream-led government before a scheduled visit to the United States and claimed that China was more welcoming. Amid the protests against the foreign agents law, Prime Minister Kobakhidze declined a visit to the United States on May 2. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, the invitation came with the condition of temporarily halting discussions on the controversial law. The ministry said that “stipulating any condition for a visit contradicts the spirit of partnership.” Pro-government actors used this issue to contrast the stances of the United States and China. As an example, then-Prime Minister Garibashvili’s visit to China was described as having resolved “certain issues about visa-free travel, direct flights, and strategic partnership.”

Second, China’s status as a United Nations (UN) Security Council member was presented as an asset for mediating Georgia’s territorial issues. This point counters concerns among political analysts and pro-Western politicians that distancing from the West would leave Georgia isolated in negotiations and reliant on Russia, a party they view as untrustworthy. China’s involvement was framed as an alternative to Western mediation in protecting Georgia’s security and sovereignty, particularly in international forums. The narrative that promotes reliance on China is particularly relevant to the Geneva International Discussions, which were established after Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia to address security and humanitarian concerns stemming from the occupation; the discussions are co-chaired by representatives from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), EU, and UN. The narrative that promoted China’s ability to aid Georgia in territorial integrity was primarily spread by People’s Power members and the pro-government POSTV channel. The narrative was circulated despite China’s history of abstaining from votes concerning Georgia’s annual resolutions to the UN General Assembly; the resolutions reiterate the right of return to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region for all internally displaced persons and refugees. Since 2008, following Russia’s invasion of Georgia and the recognition of two Georgian regions, Georgia has annually presented a resolution to the UN on the status of displaced persons and refugees. China has consistently refrained from supporting these resolutions. Notably, in 2022, China broke its usual pattern of abstention by voting against the resolution. In all other instances, including in 2024 despite the expanded Georgia-China strategic partnership, China abstained from the vote.

Third, the analyzed pages also depicted a partnership with China as part of Georgia’s historical mission as a bridge between the East and the West, with claims that this partnership would boost Georgia’s EU integration.

On Telegram, we analyzed thirty-one anti-West and pro-government channels run by far-right actors, pro-government media, and government-affiliated political parties. Using the Telegram analysis tool TGCollector, we collected all posts from these channels published before July 10, 2024. Then, we filtered for China-related content using the roots of the keywords “China” and “Chinese” in Georgian.

Twenty-two of the thirty-one channels posted China-related content, of which 3,489 were posts and 359 were forwards. The channels that posted the most about China are BeqaNews (1,515 posts), worldpolitikal (994), and altinfonews (491). Most posts about China were made in late July to early August 2022 and mid-May to early June 2024.

The following network graph was constructed from the 359 forwarded posts. The edge weights are scaled by the number of forwards from the source channel to the target channel following a clockwise edge path. The node sizes are scaled by the out-degree, the number of forwards from the channel. The node colors indicate the community groupings categorized by the Leiden clustering algorithm. Many of the China-related posts made in the channels altinfonews, worldpolitikal, and ChinaNewsGe are reposted to BeqaNews, which had the largest number of China-related posts in our entire sample of channels.

The DFRLab further examined China News, which operates a Facebook page, Telegram channel, and TikTok account. Initially, China News operated as a user profile on Facebook, but the page “ჩინეთის ამბები • China News” was created on June 26, 2024. On June 27, the page posted that the previous profile was blocked by the “personal order of Robin Dunnigan [US Ambassador to Georgia].” Across its three social media platforms, China News predominately promoted statements from Chinese leaders and portrayed China as a superpower opposing the West.

On Facebook, the page shared posts from the pages of the Chinese Embassies in Georgia and Cambodia and China’s state-controlled media outlet CCTV+. Some of these posts were shared within a short period of time; the timing does not indicate cross-posting or technical coordination but showcases the diligent amplification of Chinese official messaging by the page. The page also promoted videos of the Chinese army, military exercises, and China’s technological advancements. In one post published on July 5, 2024, China News claimed that Georgian defense forces had a greater military “perspective” in cooperating with the Chinese People’s Army rather than the US Army.

The Telegram channel “ChinaNewsGe” has been active longer than the Facebook page, but the posts on both accounts were identical. One post promoted the Chinese company awarded the Anaklia Deep Sea Port bid, claiming reports of the company’s US blacklisting are disinformation from Taiwan and US-funded think tanks. The channel contrasts China with the United States to boast of Chinese economic and military advancements. One Telegram poll asked members to choose between US and Chinese investments, with a third option stating, “The US had 33 years to invest.” At the time of writing, China was winning the poll. The channel also used memes to promote a positive image of China over the United States and the West. One of the posts on the channel questions Georgia’s pro-Western foreign policy, portraying China as a more pragmatic and reliable partner. It claims that “betraying China is a foolish move” and urges Georgian politicians to align with China, framing China as a key ally essential for Georgia’s future. Another post features a video compilation showcasing China’s military strength, accompanied by the question, “Is the Trump administration ready to go to war for Taiwan?” emphasizing China’s power and status. Additionally, we identified at least one instance of an AI-generated image depicting a masculine Chinese figure holding a feminized Statue of Liberty in their arms, symbolizing the United States as submissive to China’s growing influence.

Sopo Gelava, “Cross-platform campaign in Georgia emphasizes China as an alternative to the United States,” Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), December 10, 2024, https://dfrlab.org/2024/12/10/cross-platform-campaign-in-georgia-emphasizes-china-as-an-alternative-to-the-united-states/.