Opinions & Interviews
Defending right to sovereign development seen as overarching theme in Belarus-China cooperation
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MINSK, 12 January (BelTA) – Defending the right of sovereign states to choose their own path of development, aocio-economic model, constitutional structure, territorial integrity is an overarching theme in the Belarusian-Chinese cooperation, Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister, Co-Chairman of the Belarusian-Chinese Intergovernmental Committee on Cooperation, former Ambassador of Belarus to China Nikolai Snopkov said when speaking at the international conference "Three decades of the Belarusian-Chinese relations and a community of common destiny for all mankind", BelTA has learned.
Nikolai Snopkov stressed the importance of cooperation between Belarus and China. January this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Belarusian-Chinese diplomatic relations.
The leaders of the two countries have contributed a lot to the rapid development of Belarusian-Chinese cooperation, Nikolai Snopkov noted. "In a short period of time, relations between Belarus and China have moved from ‘simply friendly’ to ‘comprehensive strategic partnership, all-weather friendship and iron brotherhood’, which is the highest possible form of relations," Nikolai Snopkov said.
He stressed that over the past three decades, the two countries, despite the difference in scale, have faced one and the same task, namely building a state that effectively addresses social development issues based on the historical traditions and modern technologies. According to the first deputy prime minister, both Belarusians and also Chinese recognize the state as an institution responsible for social justice and development.
"China started on this path earlier, which allowed us to draw on its invaluable experience in the search for recipes for our own development. Once again, I would like to congratulate the Chinese friends on the successful achievement of the goals set for the CPC centenary. I am also sure that the goals set for the centennial founding of the PRC will be reached as well," Nikolai Snopkov said.
“The present and future of our countries rely on the idea put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping to create a community of common destiny. The goal is worthy of a leader who is able to take responsibility,” Nikolai Snopkov expressed confidence. “But today it is obvious that the problem of peaceful coexistence of states with different social systems has not lost its relevance since the end of the Cold War. On the contrary, it has recently become an increasingly significant conflict-generating factor in international relations. States have to defend the right to their own way of development in trade, information and sometimes hot wars,” Nikolai Snopkov said.
“No one has canceled the co-dependence of states, either. In the modern architecture of international relations, the security and welfare of small and medium-sized countries depend on large powers, and vice versa. Disruptions in logistics routes, lockdowns, border closures, migration flows and other things can have a significant impact on the economic situation and security of countries, even those that do not border each other. This is especially true for territories at the crossroads of world trade routes. These are the territories that have been given the status of hubs in the Belt and Road project. Belarus is one of such hubs,” the first deputy prime minister said.
He added: “The dual circulation economic strategy, which China is currently pursuing, marks a close connection between the development of China's domestic market, which is becoming the core of ensuring the nation's prosperity, and the external circuit, the circuit of China's international trade. China can provide it only through building up its economic presence in the Belt and Road hubs. There can be no stable communications through unstable territories. By building up its economic presence, helping to cope with challenges to the economic and political stability of friendly countries, China creates optimal prerequisites for the successful implementation of long-term strategies of its own path.”
Speaking about the global issues that are to become the foundation of the Belarusian-Chinese relations for the coming decades, Nikolai Snopkov singled out three topics: “This is a joint assertion of the rights of sovereign states to choose their own path of development, social and economic model, constitutional structure, and territorial integrity. It is also the formation and maintenance of the stability of China's strategic communications in the Eurasian region, ensuring the implementation of the dual circulation economic strategy through the build-up of China's economic presence in the Belt and Road hubs. It is also an increase in mutual understanding between our peoples through an intensive build-up of cultural, scientific, informational and, most importantly, human relations.”
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