MINSK, 20 January (BelTA) – Thirty years of diplomatic relations between Belarus and China was marked by a number of achievements to be proud of, Belarus' Deputy Economy Minister Anzhelika Nikitina told BelTA.
“In three decades our countries have passed the way from simple friendship to all-round strategic partnership and iron brotherhood. In my opinion, there are three obvious achievements to be proud of. Firstly, trade with China has soared more than 130 times over these years. Today we are actively expanding our exports mainly through agricultural products and foodstuffs. Our goods are in demand in China, and we see prospects for further growth in supplies,” Anzhelika Nikitina said.
Secondly, Chinese investors have discovered Belarus. “Dozens of investment projects have been implemented with China's participation across the country in different sectors, from woodworking to mechanical engineering. A number of others are in the pipeline, including in manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, healthcare, and education. We are grateful to our Chinese friends for their gratuitous technical and economic assistance. More than half a billion of US dollars of Chinese assistance was used to build social housing and infrastructure, implement image projects, such as a national football stadium and a swimming pool of international standard,” the deputy minister said.
“Thirdly, our strategic project, the Great Stone Industrial Park, has developed much thanks to our friendship with China. Currently it is home to 85 resident companies, whose project portfolio exceeds $1.2 billion, 60% of which are from China. Today we may confidently state that the park has turned into a countrywide growth point. The Great Stone's geography is expanding also thanks to hi-tech and knowledge-intensive industries of the future,” Anzhelika Nikitina said.
In her words, a new Directive of the President of the Republic of Belarus “On the development of bilateral relations of the Republic of Belarus with the People's Republic of China” was adopted in December 2021. “The document will be used to strengthen and develop cooperation between our countries through implementation of projects. 2022 has been declared the Year of Regions of Belarus and China. This is a clear signal to intensify cooperation between Belarusian regions and Chinese provinces, expand the network of twinning cities, mutual trade and investment cooperation,” the deputy minister said.
