There is a systematic and direct interaction between the regions of Belarus and China. As a result of the Directive of the President of the Republic of Belarus "On the Development of Bilateral Relations between the Republic of Belarus and the People's Republic of China", each region and the city of Minsk have three or more twin regions in the PRC, which ensures coverage of almost all Chinese first-level administrative units. More than 100 agreements on cooperation in various spheres have been signed between the provinces of China and the regions and Belarusian cities.
The importance of interregional cooperation is primarily driven by the fact that it is at the local level that trade and economic ties between specific enterprises are stimulated. The core of further cooperation is a comprehensive strategy of joint industrial development, creation of new production facilities in high-tech mechanical engineering, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment sector, agricultural and food production with the use of Chinese high technologies and Belarusian expertise, and joint developments in these sectors.
The importance of the Chinese vector of regional partnership for Belarus is demonstrated by the adoption at the state level and successful implementation of the initiative to hold the Year of Regions of the Republic of Belarus and the People's Republic of China in 2021–2023. The aim of this initiative is to strengthen the comprehensive and all-round strategic partnership of the two countries, interregional interaction and cooperation.
In recent years, Belarusian and Chinese regions have had many interregional events, which have played a significant role in deepening trade and economic interaction between Belarusian regions and Chinese provinces as well as in strengthening friendship between the peoples of the two countries. Special role in holding such events belongs to the regional unitary enterprises of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Brest: new format of a landmark regional event
The Brest International Forum of Business Contacts is an important and traditional event for the region, which is among the brand events aimed at the development of interaction between business and the state. The Forum has been held since 2016 and annually brings together more than 350 participants, including representatives of government agencies, diplomatic corps and business from Belarus and many neighboring and non-CIS countries. The event format includes international business B2B meetings, sections on the most topical areas of the world business agenda, signing of investment and partnership agreements, as well as the organization of an exhibition with the presentation of the leading enterprises of the Brest region and foreign companies.
The event is organized by the Brest Regional Executive Committee and the Brest Branch of the BelCCI.
The emerging political trends, as well as the high level of trust between Belarus and China served as an incentive for the organizers to slightly change the format of the event in 2024, focusing on the comprehensive interaction between Brest region and China.
As Yury Shuleiko, Chairman of the Brest Regional Executive Committee, noted when opening the event, "Despite the fact that Brest region trades with 88 countries of the world, China is the second largest partner in terms of foreign trade. Cooperation is carried out in all spheres: trade, logistics, education, culture, tourism, and others."
Igor Nazaruk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Alesya Abramenko, Deputy Minister of Economy, and Wang Ruijuan, Counselor for Trade and Economic Affairs of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Belarus, were also among the guests of honor who attended the opening of the forum.
In his speech, Igor Nazaruk called Belarus's relations with the People's Republic of China unique. "China is the most important political and economic partner of the Republic of Belarus. Thanks to the far-sighted policy of the leadership of our countries, in 2022 we have reached an absolutely new level of relations – an all-weather and all-round strategic partnership. Over the 32 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries, trade turnover with China has grown more than 140-fold," Deputy Foreign Minister said.
In her turn, Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus Alesya Abramenko expressed confidence that the trade turnover of the two countries has grown 2.5 times over the last 10 years, and exports have tripled. "Interregional cooperation is becoming the locomotive, the driving force behind the development of Belarusian-Chinese ties. We strive for openness, further enhancement of trade and economic cooperation and the development of innovative industries," Alesya Abramenko said.
The two-day program of the forum was very rich and included a plenary session named "International Cooperation between the Brest Region of the Republic of Belarus and the People's Republic of China", as well as thematic sections on the issues of mutual interest.
On the first day, a number of important strategic bilateral documents were signed, including the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Brest Regional Executive Committee and the Association of Chinese Companies, the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Brest Branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Chinese Companies. The Brest State A. Pushkin University signed agreements with China International Education Foundation and Anhui University.
Business circles from Belarus and China discussed the results and prospects of cooperation in industry, innovation, construction, logistics, education, healthcare, science, sports and tourism. In addition, Chinese partners were presented with the economic potential of the free economic zone "Brest", its logistics opportunities, preferential conditions for residents, areas of cooperation with Chinese partners, and promising investment projects.
The Brest Branch of the BelCCI organized a business matchmaking session within the framework of the forum, which was attended by representatives of more than 60 Belarusian and 25 Chinese companies. Belarusian participants had an opportunity to present their export potential and offer Chinese partners promising cooperation projects in various spheres.
During the forum, the guests from China also familiarized themselves with the infrastructure of Brest, visited various industrial enterprises, health- care, education, and sports institutions, as well as the historical and cultural sites of Brest region.
Thus, the forum became a good example of promoting new forms and platforms for interregional cooperation, a platform for establishing contacts that will contribute to the enhancement of partnership business ties, technological and investment cooperation between Belarus and China.
Grodno: partnership with Gansu Province
The necessary basis for the full-scale cooperation between the Grodno region of Belarus and the Chinese Province of Gansu was the Agreement on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Humanitarian and Cultural Cooperation between the two regions signed in 2010.
Over the past 15 years, the Belarusian and Chinese regions have been regularly exchanging visits of delegations of official and business circles, participating in congress and exhibition events on each other's territory, implementing important investment projects, and cooperating in the field of education, culture and healthcare.
The Grodno Branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry regularly acts as an organizer or co-organizer of some events aimed at cooperation with Gansu Province.
Thus, in the first decade of July of this year, the exposition of the Republic of Belarus was presented at the 30th China Investment and Trade Fair in Lanzhou. The Republic of Belarus was granted the guest of honor status.
The collective organizer of the exposition was the Grodno Branch of the BelCCI, assisted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Belarus in Chongqing.
The event was attended by heads and employees of 12 Belarusian companies and organizations, including representatives of the Free Economic Zone "Grodnoinvest" Administration, Grodno and Slonim meat processing plants, Volkovysk OJSC "Bellakt", LLC "Primemilk", OJSC "Lidakhleboprodukt", OJSC "Molochny Mir", OJSC "Grodno Azot", OJSC "Mostovdrev", RUE "Belarusian Glass Company", RUE "Beltamozhservice". One of the main historical and cultural attractions of the country was presented to the Chinese partners by the Mir Castle Complex Museum representatives.
The Belarusian pavilion was visited by Chairman of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee, Vladimir Karanik, who headed the official delegation of the region, Consul General of Belarus in Chongqing, Dmitry Yemelyanov, as well as leaders of the People's Government of Gansu Province.
The exposition was accompanied by B2B-format negotiations with potential Chinese partners, as well as business representatives of other countries participating in the exhibition. The program also included presentations of the economic, investment and tourism potential of Belarus, performances by a musical group, and tastings of Belarusian products. Foreign guests found all the events interesting.
The continuation of fruitful cooperation of the two regions was the participation of a delegation of official and business circles from Longnan in the events of the Grodno International Economic Forum, which was held from September 6 to 8. The Grodno Branch of the BelCCI acted as a co-organizer of the forum together with the Grodno City Executive Committee.
The Chinese delegation took part in the plenary session of the forum, got acquainted with the economic and tourist potential of Grodno presented at the Regional Universal Exhibition of Achievements. Lively business negotiations with Belarusian participants contributed to the establishment of new contacts and discussion of already launched projects of trade and economic cooperation between the companies of Grodno and China.
The traditional result of international forums is the signing of specific documents. One of such documents was the cooperation agreement between the Grodno Branch of the BelCCI and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Longnan. Thus, the parties consolidated partnerships to promote the interests of companies in Grodno region and Gansu Province, and to establish mutually beneficial business relations.
In particular, thanks to the systematic work with the business of Gansu Province, the leading organizations of Grodno region are increasing the volume of product supplies to China, namely LLC "Belagroterminal", OJSC "Grodno Azot", OJSC "Grodno Meat Processing Plant", OJSC "Molochny Mir", OJSC "Volkovysk Meat Processing Plant", OJSC "Gronitex", Volkovysk OJSC "Bellakt", OJSC "Rogoznitsky Starch Plant", OJSC "Slonim Meat Processing Plant", and many others.
Minsk: Technology Transfer Coordination Center has been established
The Chinese city of Qingdao is located to the southeast part of the Shandong Peninsula on the Yellow Sea coast. It is an important economic center of Shandong Province, a leading port city in eastern China with developed key manufacturing industries such as electronics and telecommunications, high-tech sector, chemical and petroleum industry, automobile and shipbuilding, light industry, food and pharmaceutical industries. Qingdao is also a large industrial center of Shandong Province, with free trade zones, economic and technological development zones, export flow service zones, and six economic and technological development
zones.
The Minsk Branch of the BelCCI has opened the opportunities of this city for Belarusian companies. Last year, the unitary enterprise of the Chamber organized a visit of the Belarusian business delegation, which featured a business forum, business negotiations with representatives of Chinese companies, as well as visits to specialized enterprises in order to exchange experience and establish mutually beneficial cooperation. The visit resulted in the expansion of interaction and new business contacts in all areas of bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
In addition, within the framework of the visit, an agreement on cooperation was signed between the Minsk Branch of the BelCCI and the China Technology Transfer Center of the SCO member states, which laid the foundation for new joint projects.
The Center is an official state-level platform. It was created jointly by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other state bodies of the People's Republic of China at the initiative of the country's leadership. The organization is designed to promote the expansion of cooperation between the SCO countries in scientific, technical, trade, economic, and other fields.
Currently, the Center provides services in Moscow, Astana, Tashkent, Qingdao, Shanghai, Jiangyin.
Continuing the dialogue, during the visit of the delegation of the China Technology Transfer Center of the SCO member states to Minsk in August this year, a meeting was held with General Director of the Minsk Branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Nabeshko.
During the meeting, the head of the Minsk Branch of the BelCCI and Zhao Zhongyuan, Director of the China Technology Transfer Center of the SCO member states, signed an agreement on the establishment of a joint Coordination Center of the China Technology Transfer Center in the Belarusian capital.
The Coordination Сenter has the following tasks: providing international services in the field of innovation, science and technology, business, economics and trade; attracting investment; creating joint educational programs; organizing visits, internships and training programs.
During the meeting, the parties also outlined priority areas of cooperation: education, medicine, trade and investment, science and technology.
The successful examples of joint initiatives make it safe to say that the full-scale interaction of Belarusian and Chinese partner regions significantly contributes to the development of comprehensive cooperation between Belarus and China.
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