On June 9, the 34th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Georgia and China were upgraded to a "comprehensive strategic partnership". China has established over 80 strategic partnerships globally. Georgia's original 2023 agreement represented the lowest rung of this ladder. Chinese FDI in Georgia fell from $98 million in 2023 to just $29 million in 2024. China did not break into Georgia’s top 10 sources of foreign direct investment. China does not appear in Georgia's top five export markets.
In April 2026, South Korea posted $85.9 billion in goods exports, a 48 percent surge from a year earlier. Semiconductors, EV batteries, advanced displays are at the core of South Korea's export economy. Most of the critical minerals are sourced from China. China's share of Korean imports ranges from 14.8 percent to 94.2 percent for six minerals critical to South Korea’s most strategically important industries. The most significant diversification came after Beijing imposed export controls on a mineral first.
Madeleine Schwartz recommends Bruna Dantas Lobato, Uwem Akpan, Maeve Brennan, and More How the Rest of the World Sees America (How We See It: The World Looks at America in the Age of Trump) to The Dial.