Business news

29 Jun 2023

Belarus-China trade at $3.72bn in January-May 2023

MINSK, 29 June (BelTA) - In January-May 2023, the trade between Belarus and China reached $3.72 billion, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Belarus Xie Xiaoyong said during the opening of the exhibition of Chinese goods and services 2023 in the China-Belarus Industrial Park Great Stone, BelTA has learned.

In recent years, under the strategic guidance and personal care of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, China-Belarus cooperation in various fields has continued to grow and has already yielded fruitful results, Xie Xiaoyong said. "In September of last year, the Chinese president and the Belarusian president held a historic meeting in Samarkand where they made a joint decision to raise China-Belarus relations to the level of an all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership. Recently, Aleksandr Lukashenko made a successful state visit to China where he met with Xi Jinping. In a joint statement issued following the meeting, the heads of state stressed the need to further strengthen Chinese-Belarusian cooperation in various fields, including in economy and trade, investment and innovation, giving a new impetus to the further development of relations between Belarus and China and opening up excellent prospects," the diplomat said.

Trade and economic cooperation over the past few years has withstood the tough test of the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of external negative factors, the ambassador added. Bilateral trade has reached new highs, demonstrating strong resilience and great potential. The trade between Belarus and China reached $5.8 billion in 2022, an increase of 33% year-on-year. China's imports from Belarus surged by 65.4%.

"The numbers are really impressive. However, what impresses us even more is the figures for 2023. From January to May 2023, the trade between our countries reached $3.72 billion, China has become the second largest trading partner of Belarus, and Belarus, in turn, is an important trading partner of China in the Eurasian region," Xie Xiaoyong said.

More and more Chinese enterprises start to invest in Belarus, the diplomat stressed. "A large number of major projects have flourished on this fertile land, benefiting the peoples of the two countries. Chinese enterprises and projects of Chinese-Belarusian cooperation can be seen in every region of Belarus," he said. “It is against the background of such favorable political relations and excellent indicators of trade and economic cooperation that the exhibition of Chinese goods and services 2023 has been launched in the China-Belarus Industrial Park Great Stone. The exhibition will stay open for three days. The event has attracted many large state-owned enterprises."

On display are auto parts, textile equipment, hardware, building materials, plumbing, equipment for air conditioning systems, mechanical and electrical products, household appliances, warehousing and logistics services, financial services and others.