MINSK, 15 November (BelTA) - Belarus has become an anchor point of China's Belt and Road Initiative, said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to China Yuri Senko, BelTA has learned.
“Belarus and China have been consistently and confidently moving towards each other for 30 years, constantly increasing the level of bilateral relations. A milestone event has taken place recently, which will undoubtedly open a new page in the history of Belarusian-Chinese cooperation. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a joint declaration in Samarkand on the establishment of a unique level of relations between the countries - all-weather and all-round strategic cooperation,” said Yuri Senko.
The Belarusian ambassador to China said that the city of Chongqing was mentioned by the heads of Belarus and China in this historic document and was included in the large-scale program of deep economic and regional cooperation between the two countries. Yuri Senko expressed confidence that through the efforts of both sides, the zone of deep trade and economic cooperation with Chongqing would become an exemplary project for the Belarusian-Chinese regional cooperation and would contribute to the rapid development of living standards of the citizens of Belarus and China. This will also help implement the Belt and Road Initiative and the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle project.
"Belarus has already become a anchor point of the Belt and Road Initiative. More than 65% of all railway container routes from China to Europe pass through Belarus, including China's largest route Chongqing-Europe. The China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone, the central investment project between our countries, can be proudly called the pearl of the Belt and Road,” Ambassador Yuri Senko noted. "Being in the focus of attention of our leaders, the project is gaining momentum. The park has 99 residents, of which 49 are companies with Chinese capital, 31 - with Belarusian and 19 - from other countries. We hope that the 100th resident company of the park will be from the city of Chongqing.”
The Belarusian ambassador to China recalled that 2022 was declared by the leaders of the two countries the Year of Regions of Belarus and China, which gives an additional impetus to building up regional ties. "The experience of interregional cooperation of Belarus with certain regions of China, in particular between Minsk Oblast - Chongqing, shows that with the attention of the leadership of the regions, systemic, direct and purposeful work of partners to establish and develop ties, this cooperation gives fruitful results. I am firmly convinced that thanks to our joint efforts, the multifaceted Belarusian-Chinese partnership will continue to develop, covering new areas. This, of course, will meet the aspirations of the peoples of Belarus and China," Ambassador Yuri Senko concluded.
The Minsk regional administration hosted the Belarus-Chongqing investment forum. A number of protocols were signed to establish sister-city relations between the districts of Chongqing City and the districts of Minsk Oblast.
