Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 1 August (BelTA) - Deputy Head of the Belarus President Administration Nikolai Snopkov called on the Chinese business to adopt a more active position on the matter of establishment of joint ventures in Belarus during the negotiations with a Chinese delegation led by Xiao Yaqing, Chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission at China’s State Council on 1 August, BelTA has learned.

“I believe that the corporations attending the current meeting that are discussing projects with Belarus will take an active position on the matter of setting up joint ventures in Belarus. We have heard many warm encouraging words from Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko. I think this will give an impetus to the effort to implement the most effective projects in the shortest possible time ,” Nikolai Snopkov noted. He underlined the importance of this visit for the development of both countries' industrial potential.

Nikolai Snopkov put a special emphasis on the joint work of Belarusian and Chinese specialists on Decree No. 166 which enabled unprecedented business conditions in the Belarus-China industrial park Great Stone. “The principle of the Belt and Road initiative was at the heart of the work on the decree. These conditions have been co-formulated by Chinese and Belarusian experts. The park is a successful example of beneficial and effective joint construction and joint projects for the good of both countries,” Nikolai Snopkov remarked.

The deputy head of the Belarus President Administration also commented on the initiatives voiced by the Chinese partners during the meeting with the president. The first one was about setting up a China-Belarus industrial investment fund. “I think we should work out two things: firstly, the system of work and the charter, and secondly, the fund’s jurisdiction,” Nikolai Snopkov offered.

He also supported the initiative to explore the market more actively before launching specific projects to make them as efficient as possible. This work should be based on Alexander Lukashenko’s instruction to establish “the companies of tomorrow”. “In my opinion, we have all the possibilities to create markets and innovative products on our own. We will generate the demand for the latter through offer. For instance, in 2016, China became one of the world’s largest manufacturers and users of alternative fuel vehicles. Since 2011, the production of such vehicles surged fifty times and made up 500,000. This means new opportunities, new markets, and the positive results of the work to fulfill the instruction of our leaders to create companies of tomorrow,” Nikolai Snopkov pointed out.

The third initiative, he said, was about cooperation in education. “Training and education are the basis for cooperation. It will be a pleasure for us to learn from China and absorb its experience in managing corporations and creating powerful effective competitive state-run corporations,” he added.

Nikolai Snopkov also welcomed the inclusion of the projects of the industrial park Great Stone in the control list of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. “This is a crucial element of the park’s success. Unbiased opinion of a regulator as well as experts is vital, too,” Nikolai Snopkov summarized.

In turn, Xiao Yaqing stressed the importance of all-round development of China-Belarus relations.