Country’s industrial potential implemented at growing pace
By Galina Grishkovets
“Over the first eight months of 2011, Belarus supplied 2.2 times more vehicle sets of harvesters, tractors and dump trucks to the Chinese market, compared to the same period of the previous year,” noted Anatoly Tozik, Belarus’ Deputy Prime Minister, speaking at the 12th session of the Joint Commission on Trade-Economic Co-operation in Beijing. He explained that our traditional exports to China account for a considerable part of Belarusian sales abroad: potash fertilisers, caprolactam, chemical produce and electronic integrated circuits.
In turn, China is one of the major suppliers of contemporary equipment and components to Belarus. “We’re open for trade with China. We’ll continue creating favourable conditions for the supply of contemporary Chinese equipment, especially as part of the implementation of investment projects,” added the Deputy Prime Minister.
Joint ventures are an efficient form of developing bilateral relations, with several such enterprises set up in China in recent years — involving BelAZ, Gomselmash and Minsk Tractor Works. They are engaged in the assembly and technical maintenance of heavy duty dump trucks, fodder harvesters and maize combines, as well as energy-intensive tractors. Moreover, Belarus is conducting work to set up new joint ventures and manufactures with Chinese partners.
Mr. Tozik hopes that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce will support already operational and newly established joint enterprises. Belarus has proposed that goods produced at joint factories in Harbin be included on the state catalogue of support and promotion of agricultural technique and the catalogue of subsidised purchases of agricultural technique.
In recent years, a range of joint ventures have been created in Belarus involving Chinese partners — all successfully operating. In particular, these include joint enterprises to manufacture household appliances and hydro-mechanical transmissions for large-size equipment.