Belarusian People’s Congress

“Belarus had a successful 5^th People’s Congress which considered and adopted the country’s development program for 2016-2020. I think that in the course of the implementation of this document China and Belarus will find new areas of cooperation. I am confident that China and Belarus will make even greater headway in the trade and economic cooperation during the new five-year period,” the diplomat said.

Cui Qiming also commented on the current development of the Chinese economy: “The course for reforms and openness of the past 30-40 years has helped China achieve huge progress which draws the attention of the world. According to the preliminary estimates, in Q1 2016 China’s GDP increased by 6.7% in comparison with the same period last year. In January-February the country’s main industrial companies expanded their profit by 4.8%, reversing the situation with plunging profits in 2015.”

According to the Ambassador, in line with the new urbanization and openness strategy the Chinese government decided on expanding the practice of openness of the country’s interior districts, creating foreign economic corridors, uniting the East, the Center and the West, and also connecting the South and the North. “For the purpose of meeting the goals of the reform the Chinese government initiated the Silk Road Economic Belt concept as a new strategy to support the global free trade system and the open economy system. The project is aimed at strengthening cooperation and joint efforts to overcome difficulties taking into account vast changes in the international and regional situation,” the diplomat stressed. In his words, Belarus may play an important role in the implementation of the concept.