Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 13 May (BelTA) – The relations with China remain a foreign policy priority for Belarus, Belarusian Prime Minister Andrei Kobyakov said as he met with Chinese Deputy Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan, BelTA has learned.

“The relations with China remain a foreign policy priority for Belarus. They set a good example of an equal, respectful and mutually beneficial partnership between one of the largest countries in the world and Belarus which is relatively small by European standards,” Andrei Kobyakov noted.

He pointed out that Belarus views China as a strategic partner and the joint projects as a tool for strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation in trade, economy, science, technology, and other sectors. Andrei Kobyakov emphasized that the relations between the two countries have developed into a comprehensive strategic partnership. Now the common task is to give concrete expression to this strategic cooperation.

The head of the Belarusian government stated that alongside many economic projects that are underway or have already been completed with the participation of Chinese companies, much attention is paid to the construction of the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park Great Stone. “During his visit to Belarus in May 2015, China President Xi Jinping named the project ‘the pearl’ of the Silk Road Economic Belt. The project has become not just a kind of brand but a concrete goal for all those participating in its implementation,” Andrei Kobyakov explained. He expressed hope that the current visit of the Chinese delegation involved in the organization of the seventh meeting of the working group on the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park Great Stone will bring considerable results.