Georgia’s State Security Service (SSSG) chief Geka Geladze and Deputy Interior Minister Gaga Kirkitadze are in China with accompanying delegations to participate in the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum, an annual international forum established by China and held in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province.
According to the SSSG, the 2026 forum — held from September 8 to 10 — brings together high-ranking officials from more than 100 countries to discuss public security governance “against the backdrop of a turbulent global environment,” and is attended “by heads of security services and law enforcement agencies from various countries.”
The Interior Ministry reported that Kirkitadze participated in “sub-forums covering topics including international cooperation on drug control,” as well as “cooperation in the field of police education.”
Ahead of the forum’s opening, Geladze visited a public security technology exhibition together with China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong. The exhibition, organized by the First Research Institute of China’s Ministry of Public Security, showcased what the SSSG described as “modern security technologies.”
According to China Daily, Beijing’s state-owned newspaper, the forum brings together “law enforcement officials, international organizations, and experts to enhance cooperation in tackling increasingly transnational and technology-driven security threats.”
This year’s forum is being held under the theme “unite to advance public security governance, bring stability to a turbulent world.” Its agenda includes sessions on “migration management, international drug control, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, public security technology and equipment, police education, tourism security, and international security services.”
The forum, initially established in 2015 as the Lianyungang Forum at the initiative of China’s Ministry of Public Security, was renamed as the Global Public Security Cooperation Forum (Lianyungang) in 2022. It has since been held annually.
According to the forum’s website, the conference aims to promote “law enforcement and security cooperation for global economic development through innovative thinking and pragmatic measures,” guided by the principle of “Cooperative Security for Common Prosperity.”
Georgian officials’ visit comes less than three months after Georgia and China elevated their bilateral relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership.” The upgrade, announced in June, followed the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries in 2023.
The deepening Georgia-China relationship has also drawn increased scrutiny in Washington. In June, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill requiring a report on Russian and Chinese influence and intelligence assets in Georgia, alongside a five-year strategy for U.S.-Georgia relations.
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