Belarus’ President to pay state visit to China on 28-30 September

27 сентября 2016

By Svetlana Lukyanyuk: A regular exchange of visits once again confirms commitment to a close multifaceted partnership between Belarus and China. Moreover, the good political relations between the two countries have become key to successful business ties, which has resulted in tens of large-scale projects, the most important being the Great Stone Industrial Park. The President’s decree signed today has specified the procedure for the implementing a number of Belarus–China investment projects in the electric industry, car manufacturing, as well as in the cellulose and paper and textile industries. As repeatedly pointed out by the parties, the forthcoming negotiations will open a new page in the Belarus–China relations.

Presidents Alexander Lukashenko and Xi Jinping last met in June at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. The Belarusian leader visited China a year ago to take part in celebrations dedicated to the 70th anniversary of victory in the Anti-Japanese War and the Second World War. The Chinese President also visited Belarus a year ago, which resulted in the signing of more than twenty documents and an agreement to double trade turnover. However, the trade turnover has seen an almost four-fold increase over ten years, from less than 800 million dollars in 2005 to over 3 billion in 2015.

The most ambitious project is the Great Stone, an important point in the Silk Road Economic Belt. The industrial park is still under construction, but already has 8 resident companies, including ZTE and Huawei.