Prospects for Belarus to enter China’s financial markets

         The Finance Ministry of Belarus and China’s leading independent rating agency Dagong have signed a memorandum of cooperation, the Finance Ministry reports. “The memorandum opens new prospects for cooperation in building up Belarus’ national rating industry, providing an independent objective assessment of the credit status of Belarusian companies and joint Belarusian-Chinese projects and the access to the financial markets of China and the special administrative district of Hong Kong,” the ministry noted. The Belarusian Railways and the Exim Bank of China signed three 12-15-year loan agreements to the total tune of more than $175 million to develop the Belarusian railway. Apart from that, the Belarusian Railways and the Exim Bank of China concluded a framework agreement to step up the cooperation of the two countries in the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt concept. The agreement envisages assistance in long-term all-round cooperation in the development of the Belarusian railway infrastructure with the help of the Chinese loans (up to $500 million) for the implementation of investment projects.