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Belarus’ Minsk Oblast, China’s Chongqing sign roadmap for cooperation
MINSK, 9 August (BelTA) - Minsk Oblast is interested in developing cooperation with Chinese Chongqing in various fields, including the production of reagents and electric vehicles, medicine, education, tourism, logistics, exchange of experience and the establishment of twinning relations, Minsk Oblast Vice Governor Denis Kurlenko said at the talks with a delegation of the city of Chongqing headed by Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People's Congress Qu Qian, BelTA has learned.
Following the meeting, the parties signed a roadmap for 2023-2024. In the future, the document will be supplemented as the agreements are implemented.
"We do not have closed topics in our cooperation," Denis Kurlenko noted. “We will be happy to discuss various areas of cooperation. We have a lot to offer each other. I assure you that you will receive feedback on all the proposals that you make."
For example, there is a need for a coordination logistics center in the Great Stone Industrial Park. "Optimal logistics is very important for small enterprises. It is difficult for them to find a niche in the Chinese market without the help of such a coordination center," Denis Kurlenko said.
Another promising area is a project to set up a joint venture to manufacture e-vehicles with any degree of localization. "If such a project emerges, we are ready to lobby it at the level of the government and our foreign economic agents," Denis Kurlenko added.
The roadmap also deals with the development of twinning relations, cooperation between healthcare institutions and promotion of traditional Chinese medicine in Minsk Oblast.
"So far, we have only one center of traditional Chinese medicine, and we would like to have more of them," Denis Kurlenko noted.
In turn, Qu Qian stressed that he was glad to visit Minsk Oblast. He spoke about the latest projects that are being implemented in Chongqing, invited Minsk Oblast to send a delegation to China on a return visit. "We have one goal - to develop mutually beneficial interregional cooperation. This time we brought a representative delegation to Belarus. Meetings were held to define tasks for each department. We want to strengthen ties in culture, education, tourism and other areas," Qu Qian said.
According to him, Chongqing is interested in bringing relations to a new level.
"The roadmap includes various areas of cooperation - from the real sector of the economy to humanitarian matters. These include tourism, healthcare, and cultural ties,” Denis Kurlenko told journalists as he summed up the results of the talks. “China is interesting for tourists from Belarus, and Belarus is interesting for Chinese tourists. What seems ordinary to us is new for Chinese guests. Chongqing is a major land and air transportation hub. That is why we are also interested in it. There are many topics. During the visit of business circles, we will work them out in more detail.”
After the meeting in the Minsk Oblast Executive Committee, the Chinese delegation went to the Khatyn memorial complex.
As BelTA reported earlier, the agreement on cooperation between Minsk Oblast and Chongqing was concluded in 2002. In March 2017, the regions established twinning relations. This year, on 29 June, the parties signed agreements to intensify cooperation in various fields on the sidelines of the exhibition of Chinese goods and services at the China-Belarus Industrial Park Great Stone.
In H1 2023, the trade between Minsk Oblast and the People's Republic of China amounted to $1,267.7 million, an increase of 19.4% over the same period in 2022. Exports totaled $621.5 million (up by 36.6%), imports - $646.2 million (6.5%).
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