MINSK, September 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Relations between Belarus and China are a good example of maintaining an equitable and mutually beneficial dialogue, and their development remains a strategic priority of Belarussian foreign policy, President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting with visiting Deputy Premier of China’s State Council Zhang Gaoli on Friday.
“Your country has always been our reliable partner. The development of relations with China has been and remains a strategic priority of Belarussian foreign policy, he said. Whereas before there had been certain fears about more intensive bilateral cooperation, because it might prove sensitive to the interests of various countries, now those fears have faded away.
Lukashenko believes that Belarus and China should be more active in establishing closer relations.
“We are interested in having powerful support from such a giant state as China, whose role is crucial to resolving any world problem,” he said.
Lukashenko described China’s support as a major factor for the independence of Belarus as a state.
“And if one bears in mind that we enjoy as much support from Russia, Belarus becomes practically invulnerable,” he said.
About Beijing’s interests Lukashenko said that China’s further development and its positioning in the world as a superpower was impossible without cooperation with Europe.
He said Belarus was prepared to promote contacts, including trading contacts, between China and Europe.
“Belarus is ready to help China gain a firmer foothold in Europe,” Lukashenko said.
He thanked Beijing for heavy support for Belarus with lending to joint projects, of which the Chinese-Belarussian industrial park was the most important one. He welcomed Zhang’s proposal for declaring the industrial park an inter-state project and for attracting the largest, best-known companies from Belarus and China and also from Europe and other continents.
“Our task today is to jointly create high-tech industries that would be in great demand in the European space,” Lukashenko said.
He drew attention to other economic projects, in particular, those for upgrading the energy system and launching car production with assistance from the Chinese automotive manufacturer Geely.
“Belarus offers Europe’s most favourable and beneficial conditions for doing business,” Lukashenko said. “We are hoping for a great influx of Chinese investment.”
China’s president Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Belarus in the near future. Lukashenko hopes that by that time the format of Belarussian-Chinese relations will be filled with significant content.