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China seen as priority trading partner for EaP

MINSK, 4 June (BelTA) – China is the priority trading and investment partner for all the Eastern Partnership (EaP) member states, Belarus’ Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei said at the expert seminar “Eastern Partnership at 10: Results and Ways Forward” on 4 June, BelTA has learned.

“Dialogue with China is a promising geopolitical track. This country is the priority trading and investment partner for all the EaP member states. In the coming years the Great Silk Road project will align with the EU transport network TEN-T,” the minister said.

According to Vladimir Makei, among the shareholders and residents of the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone are European companies, including Duisburger Hafen AG, a big logistics company. “We need to envisage a set of measures in the EaP to ease the EU border crossing and to improve logistics. The matter concerns is not only about infrastructure projects on the EaP indicative transport investment action plan,” the minister stressed. In his words, technical solutions to reduce queues on the EU border are seen as equally important. It makes sense to think through the forward electronic exchange of customs information (in both directions) to accelerate cargo customs clearance. Planning of trilateral projects between China, EaP and the EU is also seen useful for efficient alignment of transport systems.

The minister also touched upon the youth dimension. “Our country has the project “100 Ideas for Belarus” which has generated a number of useful initiatives and developments. By analogy, for example, the contest “30 Ideas for the Eastern Partnership 2030” would help to harness the creative potential of young people. The Eastern Partnership might work at the intersection of youth entrepreneurship and high-tech stimulating high-tech promising startups. Why not create an incubator for such youth business ideas and help them become a reality. Then the visibility of the European Union would have increased significantly in the countries of the Eastern Partnership,” Vladimir Makei.

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