Plans to intensify contacts with Belarus discussed in China’s Shenzhen

Consul General of the Republic of Belarus in Guangzhou Andrei Popov took part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Youth Technology and Innovation Forum in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, BelTA learned from the Belarusian foreign mission in Guangzhou.

The proposal to hold such an event was put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the SCO summit in September 2021. The forum was co-organized by the SCO Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission, the All-China Youth Federation and the People's Government of Guangdong Province. Themed ‘Youth Building Dreams of Technology, Innovation Leading the Future’, the forum included six parallel sessions to spotlight youth innovation and cooperation, public health, digital economy, artificial intelligence, green development, poverty alleviation and rural development.

At the plenary session of the forum, First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Nikolai Snopkov addressed the participants with a welcoming speech via video link. He noted that Belarusian young people are ready to share their best practices by actively participating in youth scientific and technological exchanges within the framework of the SCO.

On the sidelines of the forum, the consul general of Belarus discussed ways to expand cooperation between Belarus and Shenzhen, including in the context of the current sister city agreement between this Chinese city and Minsk. The parties discussed, in particular, academic exchanges, as well as cooperation within the framework of the China-Belarus Industrial Park Great Stone. The consul general also gave an interview to the SZTV NEWS TV channel.