BUSINESS

Carrefour’s Expansion Continues: New Hypermarket Opens in Rustavi

BY ANA DUMBADZE

Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in Georgia, continues its active expansion countrywide, this time by opening a new hypermarket in Rustavi.

The new store opened its doors to customers on December 2 at Rustavi Mall, next to the Shartava-Lomauri crossing, and now serves customers daily from 9:30 AM to 10:00 PM. Carrefour offers access to a wide variety of high-quality food products and household goods, including fresh fruit and vegetables, Bio products, baby care, home appliances, household equipment, beauty items, Carrefour private label products, and personal care items.

This is the 57th store to open in the country, and reinforces Carrefour’s position as a trusted partner of communities throughout Georgia. This is easily refl ected in Carrefour’s continuous contribution towards the development and prosperity of the Georgian economy as it invests in creating more employment opportunities for locals. The rise in partnerships with Georgian suppliers, farmers and producers not only helps local businesses grow but also introduces an unrivalled shopping experience to residents of different regions of the country, allowing them to enjoy easy access to the highest quality products at affordable prices.

Moreover, the new store provides customers with diverse and advanced services, allowing them to purchase all the necessary items for their homes in one space for maximum comfort. This includes the opportunity to purchase fresh, healthy, and local products daily which are directly sourced from local farms.

Carrefour works to support Georgian farmers and help them promote their products. A recent example of this is the organized “Potato Festival” which took place at three different Carrefour stores, where 12 varieties of Georgian potatoes were available in a traditional setup and included the most affordable prices. It was yet another chance for Georgian farmers to showcase their products through Carrefour stores.

Supporting local agriculture and economy remains at the forefront of the brand’s activities. Carrefour currently employs more than 2,500 colleagues in Georgia and plans to welcome another 1,200 additional teammates over the next two to three years. This will not only help increase capacity but also help strengthen ties with suppliers and farmers, which will consequently strengthen Georgia’s agricultural sector.

The fi rst Carrefour hypermarket opened in Tbilisi Mall in 2012 and, since then, its growth has reached very impressive numbers – it now counts 57 stores countrywide. In 2021 alone there have been numerous new store openings countrywide. Despite the pandemic and the challenging time for businesses, the brand did not pause the support it provides the communities it serves.

For the US, it Takes Time to Build an Effective China Strategy

BY EMIL AVDALIANI

The US President Joe Biden may have opposite views on nearly all the aspects of foreign policy pursued by Donald Trump, but one area is likely to remain unchanged if not pursued even more vigorously: Washington’s Indo-Pacifi c strategy.

China will remain at the top of the US foreign policy agenda. Trump’s tenure was characterized by a quest to fi nd a long-term strategic solution to counter China’s rise in the Indo-Pacifi c. Under Trump, a bipartisan consensus within the American political establishment emerged. This was evidenced by numerous reports of a changed attitude toward what Beijing wants to attain.

In a way, Trump continued the Obama administration’s “pivot to Asia.” Obama recognized that Asia was becoming the “world’s political and economic center of gravity.” The shift involved refocusing the US geopolitical thrust from the Middle East to Asia by strengthening alliances and partnerships and increasing the US’ economic presence through the Trans-Pacifi c Partnership (TPP).

Trump changed aspects of Obama’s policy (and exited the TPP), but shared his vision of a free and open Indo-Pacifi c in which the geographic defi nition of “Asia” is expanded. Both administrations prioritized strengthening bilateral and multilateral ties with allies and partners to address common threats. In fact, the US Indo-Pacifi c strategy under Trump was more vocal about China than was Obama’s Strategic Rebalance policy.

Trump’s administration also put a special emphasis on Oceania to an extent that no preceding US administration had ever done. For instance, the National Security Council now has a director for Oceania Affairs. There were several unprecedented visits in 2019 by the secretaries of state and defense to Micronesia and Palau. A historic summit between the leaders of the Freely Associated States and Trump was held in Washington in 2019.

Under Biden, any changes to the US Indo-Pacifi c strategy will likely be more style than substance. There will be an emphasis on enhancing relations with the states around China. Biden’s presidency will be crucial, as in the next four years Washington’s grand strategic approach to China will fi nally crystallize.

As the US Indo-Pacifi c strategy under Trump was quite chaotic, some degree of thought and appraisal may indeed be in order. Trump’s administration exhibited certain indecisiveness toward China that might have been based in the nature of the US government. For a huge bureaucratic apparatus with numerous agencies, each with its own vision, a certain time span is necessary to gear toward a more protracted competition mode with China. Unlike non-democratic states, where divisions are hidden from public view and decisions are made without consulting the people, and often without economic considerations, the democratic US traditionally needs much longer to adjust to new geopolitical realities. This can take years.

But it would be overreaching to claim that Biden’s China policy will be wholly confrontational. As an experienced foreign policy maker, Biden understands that perpetual confrontation with Beijing would be costly and could even be ineffective at a time when a reinvigoration of alliances and a general improvement in the global position of the US is underway.

There could be an attempt to reset relations with China to prevent a total breakdown in bilateral ties. A motivator could be cooperation in areas of global importance for both sides—economic stability, for instance. But it will also be clear that any rapprochement is unlikely to last long, and the general thrust of Trump’s Indo-Pacifi c strategy will be further pursued.

This would include doubling down on strengthening alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacifi c. In an era of greatpower competition, the US is putting an emphasis on cooperation with maritime rim and island states to contain China’s assertiveness.

Biden also understands that the need for alliances encompasses more than the Indo-Pacifi c. In fact, to be successful in challenging China, the US will need alliances in other parts of Eurasia. The Indo-Pacifi c approach under Biden will likely be part of a global approach. China’s assertiveness is not, after all, only about a certain region. It is rather a monumental competition between the two powers all around the globe.

Thence will come the American rapprochement with the European powers. Approaches to Russia could even be made to limit disagreements and perhaps try to divide the Russia-China partnership. The success of this approach would depend on how much the US is willing to sacrifi ce in the Russian borderland regions.

Biden’s presidency will in many ways be a defi ning one, as it will correspond to the period when a long-term US strategy toward China fi nally takes shape. It will set the stage for a prolonged competition, one the US will not be able to win without the support of a large number of allies scattered across Eurasia. A special emphasis will thus be made by Biden to build strong ties with potential partners and reinvigorate faltering relations with traditional allies.

Image source: Evan Vucci/AP