Belarus wishes to boost trade with China

MINSK - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that he wants to increase trade between his country and China.

"Belarus is fully determined to seriously increase the volume of its trade and, primarily, exports to China," Lukashenko said while meeting with Chinese Deputy Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan.

Noting that high-level exchanges have been picking up momentum and have greatly helped drive the development of bilateral relations and the implementation of cooperation projects, the president proposed that the two sides broaden investment cooperation.

Also, the Belarusian president said the China-Belarus Industrial Park, or the Great Stone, which the two countries will build together, should be an important part of China's efforts to build the Silk Road Economic Belt connecting Asia and Europe.

Belarus supports related projects and is ready to participate in the implementation of them, Lukashenko said.

Zhong, for his part, said Beijing attaches great importance to the strategic China-Belarus Industrial Park, which both sides have agreed to build into a model project in the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt.