TBILISI (AFP) -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was to head to China yesterday on a five-day official visit which he hopes will boost Georgia's economic prospects and help him counter pressure from neighboring Russia, analysts said.

Saakashvili is to meet President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in Beijing and will be accompanied by a string of government ministers and parliamentarians and about 20 Georgian entrepreneurs, said Deputy Foreign Minister Valeri Chechelashvili.

Relations between this Caucasus nation and China have improved since Saakashvili came to power on the back of a "rose revolution" in 2003 promoting a mostly pro-Western course.

Despite his pro-West orientation, Georgia has voiced support for Taiwan being reintegrated with China. Likewise, Beijing has said it supports Tbilisi's efforts to bring back under its control two breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

A top issue on the agenda will be increasing exports of Georgian wine to China, after Russia's health ministry on March 25 banned imports of Georgian and Moldovan wines, saying they contained health-endangering pesticides.

Saakashvili has dismissed such concerns as being part of a larger campaign by Russia against his government, telling the Vremya Novostei newspaper recently that "Georgia has sold its wine in Russia for the last 100 years and there has never been a problem with its quality".

Chechelashvili said that boosting wine exports to China would go a long way toward compensating the loss of sales to Russia.

"Wine is one of the bases of Georgia's economy. We have good prospects with China, whose market could absorb at least half our production," said Chechelashvili, adding that he expected Georgian wine exports to China to be worth 120 million dollars (100 million euros) this year.

Chinese involvement in this mountainous ex-Soviet republic is already well-established and took on greater importance in 2004 when China agreed to provide about 33 million dollars in finance for the building of a hydroelectric power station at Khadori, in the Pankisi Gorge.

Georgia is keen to get any such help as it seeks to end an over-dependence on Russian energy supplies that was highlighted early this year when explosions hit the main gas supply line from Russia and a power line also from Russia.

"The government is obsessed with building hydroelectric power stations, both small and large ... they could help end Georgia's electricity supply problems," said Alex Rondeli, director of the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies.

"Saakashvili is going to China to ask for help and China will give it to him," Rondeli predicted.