China, Belarus vow to enrich partnership with closer cooperation

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (front L) meets with Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich in Minsk, Belarus, Sept. 27, 2014. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Belarusian leaders agreed to further promote bilateral practical cooperation in various areas and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

During his talks with Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich Saturday, Zhang said the plan the two sides announced in January for the development of bilateral relations in the next five years has charted the course for bilateral win-win cooperation in the next phase.

The two sides, he suggested, should make full use of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, steer forward bilateral practical cooperation in various fields, and gather more input from both within their countries and across the region for the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt, a China-proposed initiative, for the benefit of all countries along the ancient trade route.

For his part, Myasnikovich said Belarus and China have carried out high-quality practical cooperation, with major projects gradually taking shape, cooperation fields steadily increasing and collaboration between their governments and enterprises growing ever closer, which has laid a solid foundation for the two sides to further expand cooperation.

The Belarusian side, he said, will make concerted efforts with China to lift bilateral win-win cooperation to higher levels.

Following their talks, Zhang and Myasnikovich witnessed the signing of some bilateral cooperation documents covering trade and culture, among others.

In his meeting with President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday, Zhang said Belarus has enjoyed political stability and economic development and achieved compelling progress in national construction.

China, he added, attaches great importance to its relationship with Belarus, which was upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership in July 2013 and has since entered a new era that features ever deeper political mutual trust, broader practical cooperation, more active cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and closer coordination on international affairs.

The deepening of the China-Belarus partnership has brought tangible benefits to the people of both countries, while the two have become a community of common destiny characterized by highly compatible targets and closely integrated interests, Zhang said, stressing that Beijing is confident in the future of bilateral relations.

In order to further consolidate their partnership, the two sides should maintain frequent high-level contact and strengthen strategic planning so as to make sure that their relations will always march forward in the right direction, he suggested.

Beijing and Minsk, Zhang added, also need to stand behind each other on issues concerning their respective core interests, including independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; support each other's development paths, political systems, and domestic and foreign policies; and help each other in national development.

They also should further expand practical cooperation in an all- around way and cultivate some exemplary major projects, while expanding local and people-to-people exchanges so as to reinforce the foundation of bilateral relations, said the vice premier.

For his part, Lukashenko said his country regards China as a reliable partner and the development of bilateral ties as a foreign policy priority.

With bilateral cooperation advancing smoothly in various areas over recent years, the Belarus-China relationship has grown into a model for international interaction based on equality, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, he added.

Belarus, said the president, is willing to work with China to grasp the momentous opportunities in the development of bilateral relations and strive for more achievements in the friendly cooperation between the two countries.

Belarus is the last leg of Zhang's latest foreign trip, which has already taken him to New York and Bucharest. While in New York, he attended the UN Climate Summit on Tuesday and met with a number of foreign leaders in the capacity of Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy.