Opinions & Interviews

CHANGCHUN, 31 August (BelTA) – Belarus and China are intensifying all-round cooperation under the Belt and Road initiative, Alina Grishkevich, deputy chairperson of the Belarusian Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, deputy chairperson of the Belarus-China Friendship Society, noted during the 5th Global Economic Leaders Summit in Changchun, Jilin Province on 31 August, BelTA has learned.

Alina Grishkevich emphasized that China’s role in the global integration has been growing in light of modern challenges, including the economic ones. The Belt and Road initiative brought forward by China President Xi Jinping is aimed to promote the cooperation that would be mutually beneficial and constructive for all the sides. Alina Grishkevich underlined that Belarus was among the first to support the initiative. The Belarus-China industrial Park Great Stone project is meant to become one of the crucial steps in the concept’s implementation. Belarus-China political, trade, economic, and humanitarian relations have been making rapid progress, primarily thanks to the common principles of domestic and foreign policy, and also a similar attitude to many international problems of paramount importance.

Alina Grishkevich recalled that the two countries marked the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2017. This date has become another important milestone of the bilateral cooperation which has reached an unprecedented high level within a short period of time. The declaration signed by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and China President Xi Jinping in September 2016 confirmed the establishment of all-round trust-based strategic partnership between Belarus and China. The countries’ top-level contacts serve as a solid foundation for the development of cooperation in all fields. The friendship between Alexander Lukashenko and Xi Jinping has laid a good basis to foster comprehensive mutually beneficial bilateral relations consistently and thoroughly.

“The new stage of Belarus-China relations sees increased mutually beneficial cooperation in every field: economy, investment, science, technology, humanitarian collaboration, as seen in Jilin Province where a Belarus-China science park is successfully operating,” Alina Grishkevich remarked. “There is every possibility to implement the plans to bolster citizen diplomacy. The Belarusian Society of Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries is actively promoting new initiatives of cooperation and development. It is also working hard to strengthen mutual understanding. This is the goal of the Belarus-China Friendship Society which integrates its work with the Belt and Road concept. It is easier to step up effective economic and investment cooperation if you understand each other, by studying each other’s traditions, history, and culture,” Alina Grishkevich added.

In her words, it is important that the 5th Global Economic Leaders Summit helps analyze the modern dynamics of development, economic and investment interaction in a comprehensive manner. The summit is meant to strengthen relations for the sake of regional and global stability.

The 5th Global Economic Leaders Summit is taking place in Changchun, Minsk’s sister city, from 31 August to 1 September. The event is dedicated to the development of the Chinese Belt and Road initiative. Attending the forum are some 300 representatives from around 40 countries.