George, a Georgian doctoral student at Hainan University's College of Food Science and Engineering, has seen his wine business thrive due to the preferential policies of Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).
Before coming to Hainan in August 2016, George was fidgety. All he knew was that Hainan is a beautiful tropical island. He even worried about whether he could adapt to the hot climate.
However, within a year, George quickly got used to this beautiful place. Within two years, he'd fallen in love with it. He became fascinated with Hainan specialties such as ching bo leung and Lingshui rice noodles, and also made a bunch of Chinese friends.
In 2019, George and two Chinese partners invested 1 million yuan ($154,050) to set up a wine business, Hainan Qiaozhi Trading Co Ltd, in Haikou. The pleasant climate and good business environment make Hainan an ideal place to host conventions and exhibitions, at which George delivers wine-tasting services, promoting Georgian wines to Chinese customers.
As the business grew, the company rented a warehouse in Haikou Integrated Free Trade Zone and hired six employees. Its wines are sold across China including in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen.
At present, George is preparing for his dissertation defense. Optimistic about Hainan's development, he will settle there after graduation. In addition to exporting wines to China, he also plans to sell Chinese electronic products to Georgia.
