Belarus — China: all-weather and comprehensive partnership

Belarus and China: on opposite sides of the continent, yet together in the political arena

How did the distant countries find a common language, showing the world an example of reliable co-operation, mutual respect and support? What prospects are opening up for relations between Belarus and China today?

Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation (BNBC) in Minsk Region, Pukhovichi District         Aleksandr Kulevsky 



It is strange to see how in the modern world countries fence themselves off from their former allies, threaten with a nuclear umbrella and punish ordinary citizens of neighbouring countries with sanctions. Have politicians forgotten how to negotiate? Well, we will give a hint: repeat after Belarus and China, and everything will work out.

“Our leaders maintained very close contact, and last year they met at the SCO summit in Astana, there were many high-level meetings,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Zhang Wenchuan reminded.

The heads of Belarus and China, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Xi Jinping, prove by their own example that different languages, mentalities and time zones are not an obstacle to integration, and there are actually no borders for cross-border co-operation. We have more in common than it seems.

Principles of support 

China and Belarus annually demonstrate impressive results of their co-operation in all areas, as noted by diplomats. At a press briefing at the Chinese Embassy, Embassy Counsellor Yan Feng emphasised, “In the international arena, China and Belarus have consistently and firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns.” 

Belarus firmly adheres to the one-China principle. China, in turn, supports the development path independently chosen by Belarus and opposes external interference in Belarus’ internal affairs under any pretext. 

Translated from diplomatic language into practical terms, this support means, in particular, the following. The Great Stone China-Belarus Industrial Park has already attracted 144 resident companies from 14 countries with a planned investment volume of over $1.5bn and created more than 3,000 jobs. The high-tech full-cycle agro-industrial complex stimulates the development of agriculture and livestock farming. An international standard swimming pool has been commissioned, and the construction of the National Football Stadium has been completed. All this was done ‘in four hands’. Belarus and China have established the Association of Universities, which includes more than 80 universities of both countries. The number of foreign students sent to study in each other’s countries is also constantly growing. 
There are already 52 pairs of provinces-regions and sister cities, and 23 administrative regions of China have established friendly relations with all six Belarusian regions and the city of Minsk. 

Destination — Hainan 

This year, the port in Hainan will begin operating in the ‘closed island’ mode. Experts have already dubbed it a new global free trade centre. At a press briefing, Counsellor of the PRC Embassy Wang Ruijuan noted that the ‘closed island’ is always open to friends, 

“We invite Belarusian enterprises to visit Hainan to study opportunities and develop co-operation in order to give new impetus to the continuous deepening of trade and economic relations between China and Belarus.” 

In addition, Hainan Province attracts tourists with its weather. Belarusian citizens have a visa-free regime for 30 days and there is convenient air service from Minsk. By the way, direct flights from the capital of Belarus to Beijing, Xi’an, Urumqi and other Chinese cities are open, which makes the Celestial Empire attractive to tourists (and clearly more accessible than the Schengen countries, where the organisation of recreation is fraught with numerous problems). It is in the tourism sector that our countries expect a particularly deep integration. This is already ‘tourism plus’, within the framework of which it is planned to use the ecological resources of Belarus for cross-border marathons, forest hikes and other sports projects, as well as to combine domestic health resort complexes with traditional Chinese medicine. Belarus is becoming a tourist hub: the Eurasian land bridge, which our country is, allows for the development of classic routes China — Belarus — Russia and multi-day tours China — Belarus — Europe. 
In the future, China and Belarus can even form a cross-border tourist corridor, complementing each other from East to West and giving new impetus to humanitarian co-operation within the Belt and Road initiative (BRI). 
There is something else that especially closely unites our peoples this year: the celebration of the Great Victory and the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Sino-Japanese War. Ambassador Zhang Wenchuan has even proposed creating a new direction of tourism — military-historical — after all, both countries sacredly honour the memory of the heroism of their soldiers.

During large-scale Belarusian-Chinese event Tea for Harmony—2024 in Minsk          belta

New technologies of old friendship 

The years of co-operation between China and Belarus in science, technology and innovation, announced for 2024 and 2025, are in full swing. The results are already impressive: 35 joint research projects within the framework of intergovernmental co-operation between China and Belarus, the construction of three joint laboratories as part of the Belt and Road initiative — in the field of advanced materials, electromagnetic environment, computational mechanics, plasma physics and nanotechnology — has been approved. Over the years of liaison, Belarus and China will hold 53 scientific and technical exchange events, establish 32 platforms of joint research and development centres and implement 65 intergovernmental co-operation projects. Furthermore, ten young Belarusian specialists will be provided with financial support for an internship in China for 6 or 12 months. 
Notably, at the press briefing, journalists suggested holding a meeting similar to the one held in the Great Stone Industrial Park in 2021. The idea was deemed worthy of consideration, so we can hope for the second Belarusian-Chinese forum for business, scientific, media and cultural co-operation.

In 2024, China assumed the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) for 2024-2025, and Belarus became a full member of the organisation. A summit of the SCO heads of state is planned to be held in Tianjin, China, in autumn.

DIRECT SPEECH

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Maxim Ryzhenkov,

“We have the highest level of bilateral partnership with China. It does not get higher than that. Throughout the entire period of our co-operation, China has repeatedly demonstrated that it is our reliable partner, a reliable ally. That is, there has not been a single moment when China did not support our political or economic line, or when we did not support China.” 

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Zhang Wenchuan,

By Varvara Morozova