Lukashenko reveals details of forthcoming talks with Xi Jinping

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko unveiled the timing and agenda of the forthcoming conversation with China President Xi Jinping as he met with Yang Jianqiang, First Deputy President of CITIC Construction Co., Ltd., on 22 September, BelTA informs.

“There are a number of issues that we need to discuss, because you are the largest company operating in Belarus,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said addressing Yang Jianqiang. “I need to thoroughly prepare for a conversation with President Xi Jinping that will be held very soon, as it was agreed,” the Belarusian head of state said.

“We held a detailed and meaningful meeting in Samarkand [during the SCO summit] with the president [China President Xi Jinping], discussed the whole spectrum of our economic cooperation, including issues in  your sphere of competence and responsibility, and agreed that after the  20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China [that will kick off on 16 October 2022] we will talk more thoroughly about the economy, politics, and defense cooperation,” the Belarusian leader said.

China is one of the three biggest trading partners of Belarus. In January-July 2022, bilateral trade totaled $3.1 billion, up more than 10% year-on-year. At the same time, Belarusian exports almost doubled (by 96.4%), exceeding $972 million. Belarus mainly supplies potash fertilizers, beef, poultry meat, timber, milk and cream, cellulose, electronic integrated circuits, and specific goods to China. Belarus and China are working on $2 billion worth export applications for Belarusian products.

In 2022 China stepped up its investment activity in Belarus. In H1 2022, China’s direct investments in Belarus amounted to $50.6 million, up more than 1.5 times over 2021.

In 2021, the mutual trade in goods and services approached $6 billion ($5.85 billion). The trade in goods reached a record $5.1 billion.