OREANDA-NEWS. October 14, 2010. The President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, met with the President of the People's Republic of China, Hu Jintao, in Beijing to discuss the current state and prospects of Belarusian-Chinese co-operation and share opinions on relevant international issues.

Alexander Lukashenko thanked Hu Jintao for the warm welcome and for 'enormous help and support'. The President of Belarus shared with the President of China his impressions of Expo 2010 Shanghai which the Belarusian Leader had visited on the previous day. 'We are once again amazed by the scale of the projects you are doing and by how unique they are. You demonstrate dynamism to the entire world,' said the President of Belarus.

Alexander Lukashenko said this was his sixth visit to China. 'I have been a witness to the main events that have made your country one of the world's leading powers,' he said. Belarus applauds China's successes.

Hu Jintao said he was ready to exchange views on the future of Belarusian-Chinese relations and other matters of mutual interest.

The President of China added he was much pleased to meet the Belarusian President again two years after their last meeting. On behalf of the Chinese Government and all the Chinese people, Hu Jintao thanked Alexander Lukashenko and the entire Belarusian people for Belarus' assistance in handling the aftermath of the natural calamities in China.

Later in the day there was a dinner in honour of the President of Belarus given on behalf of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

During the President's 2005 visit to China the sides announced their intention to move toward a new level of strategic partnership, which was later solidified in their joint declaration. In August 2008, while meeting with the President of China, Alexander Lukashenko invited China to work more intensively in Belarus and expand its presence in our country. In March 2010, during a visit to Belarus of Chinese Vice President Xo Jinping, a number of important agreements were concluded, allowing the sides to start work on large-scale projects in the credit and investment sphere. The total amount of the credit line opened for Belarus is USD15 billion (USD 1 billion is a preferential loan).

The bilateral trade in 2009 exceeded USD 1.255 billion. In January-June 2010 it approached USD 1.68 billion, or a 60.1 per cent rise from the same period in the previous year.

During today's talks the sides discussed plans to expand the bilateral co-operation in commerce. Alexander Lukashenko urged the Chinese partners to step up their business activities in Belarus. According to him, these talks should 'outline the co-operation strategy for the two countries for years'.

In addition, on the 11th of October Alexander Lukashenko attended the ceremony of official opening of an assembly plant and service centre of the joint venture AVIK BelAZ Mine Trucks.

According to the President of Belarus, the opening of this joint venture has become another milestone on the road of fruitful co-operation between Belarus and China. 'BelAZ is the pride of Belarusian automotive industry. This brand is well-known all over the world. Our mine trucks have proved very efficient in many countries, and are well-known in China since the 60s of the past century,' said the Head of State.

Belarus has been co-operating with KATIK Supply Co. for 15 years already. 'As recently as five months ago there was an empty stretch of land here, whereas today we are opening a new promising company here. Such speed of work is impressive indeed!' said Alexander Lukashenko. 'We have made a good start, and a good start is a guarantee of success,' he added.

The President believes the new company will soon start to work with clients not only within China but also abroad. He said everything necessary was in place for the company to conquer its niche in new markets, in other Asian countries. The new company employs modern technologies, skilled staff and has reliable business partners.

The Belarusian Leader had a meeting with the director general of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Lin Zuoming. The President proposed the corporation to carry out projects in Belarus. 'Belarus and China are reliable and efficient partners today. Twenty years ago we made no mistake by choosing China as our main partner for co-operation. Naturally, such a giant country and with a giant economy cannot but be interested in promoting its interests in Europe. Since you are heading for Europe, welcome to the centre of Europe. We will be helping you and supporting you in Belarus,' said the President of Belarus.

The Chinese corporation has an opportunity to enter the big market of the former Soviet Union now. 'We have a unique position in the Customs Union. This expands the scope of co-operation opportunities, could make co-operation stronger. You could trade duty-free across practically the entire territory of the former Soviet Union,' said the Belarusian Leader.

'You have a giant corporation, there is a lot you can do. And our plants are interested in co-operating with your corporation,' said Alexander Lukashenko to the director general of the corporation.

For his part, Lin Zuoming confirmed the readiness of the Chinese corporation in co-operation with Belarus. 'We are ready to invest in projects in Belarus,' he said. 'I think our co-operation will contribute towards strengthening of the relations between our countries.'

The Belarusian delegation accompanying the Belarusian President on his visit to China signed a number of bilateral documents with their Chinese partners. Belarus and China sealed a number of deals to a total of USD 3.5 billion.

According to First Vice Premier Vladimir Semashko, these projects are very important for the Belarusian economy. 'It is our hope that with the help of these projects we will manage to catch up with China which GDP growth is 11 per cent. To catch up with China on another scale, but with a good rate of economic growth,' he said. These projects are beneficial for both Belarus and China: it will enable Belarus to speed up its economic growth, and China to explore the European market and to prove their competency on the European continent. According to Vladimir Semashko, a good foundation has been laid down today for going ahead with a number of other joint projects for a total of USD 15 billion. An agreement about it was reached earlier in the year. There are nearly 100 joint projects in the pipeline at the moment.