MINSK, 12 February (BelTA) – Since the China-Belarus Industrial Park Great Stone project was launched, it has attracted $650 million in investment, Head of the Administration of the China-Belarus Industrial Park Great Stone Aleksandr Yaroshenko said at the 6th Belarusian People’s Congress on 12 February, BelTA informs.
“Over nearly six years, $650 million has been invested in the park. A supercapacitor, truck cranes, laser equipment, drones, Euro-6 engines and heavy-duty gearboxes, a 5G pilot communication zone and a multi-modal container terminal are just a few of the projects that are now underway in the park,” Aleksandr Yaroshenko said.
According to him, about half of the Great Stone resident companies are already up and running. More than 1,000 people work at the resident companies, over 80% of them are Belarusians. The average salary there is Br2,500.
“The Great Stone industrial park is not just a free economic zone or a logistics terminal. It is primarily one of the key platforms of the New Silk Road and the only one in our region. It is part of Belarus’ efforts to get a greater access to the international market. It is also a springboard for China, as this industrial park is as a territory of accelerated economic growth and technological development,” he noted. “Thanks to political agreements and personal involvement of the leaders of our countries, the industrial park was named the Best Special Economic Zone within the Belt and Road initiative by fDi Intelligence (a service of the Financial Times). It is an international smart eco-city of the future for 10,000 people with the most advanced production facilities of tomorrow. All in all, 68 resident companies from 14 countries with a declared amount of investment at $1.2 billion have already been registered at the park,” he informed.
Aleksandr Yaroshenko emphasized that such projects will make the backbone of Belarus’ economy in the future. “We highly appreciate China’s participation. As our partners often say: anything is possible, the impossible just takes more time,” he added.