By LIU HONGJIE in Minsk and REN QI in Beijing |
chinadaily.com.cn |
Updated: 2026-06-07 22:12
Vice-President Han Zheng has called for further strengthening solidarity and cooperation between China and Belarus, with a focus on fields such as mechanical equipment, agriculture, e-commerce trade and the digital economy.
Addressing a business event on Sunday in Minsk themed “Big Market for All: Export Goods of Belarus to China”, which was organized by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Han highlighted the continuous development of bilateral trade, noting that the two countries will jointly promote the building of an open world economy.
The “Export to China” series of events is one of China’s pragmatic measures to actively expand independent and unilateral opening-up. It highlights China’s innovative move to share the opportunities of the country’s vast market with the world and create a new pattern of win-win cooperation, as well as a proactive contribution to supporting economic globalization and safeguarding the multilateral trading system.
Ling Ji, vice-minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative, stated that China and Belarus are all-weather comprehensive strategic partners, and expanding bilateral trade is an important consensus reached by the two countries’ heads of state. He noted that, for this reason, China selected Belarus as the first overseas stop for the “Export to China” series of events.
He said that the special event, held during the Belarusian agricultural exhibition, will build a platform for Belarusian enterprises to expand their exports to China and facilitate the entry of more high-quality Belarusian products into the Chinese market.
Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov said that Belarus is an open economy, with exports generating 60 percent of its GDP. He pointed out that Belarus trades with more than 150 countries worldwide and continues to expand its catalog of export commodities. In its cooperation strategy, China represents a key direction, with approximately 200 Belarusian enterprises approved to supply food products to China and the variety of export commodities to China reaching into the hundreds.
Snopkov said that Belarus is willing to provide a comprehensive plan for win-win development for its Chinese partners, adding that Belarus has become a key hub for the Belt and Road Initiative in the region.
He emphasized that these achievements are deeply rooted in strong people-to-people ties, noting that more than 30 cooperation agreements have been signed between Belarusian regions and various parts of China.
With the implementation of a mutual visa exemption system, business and tourism exchanges have become increasingly close, he said, highlighting that sincerity and friendship serve as the most important strategic resources.
Belarusian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Alexander Yakovchits said China is the primary market for Belarusian products in the Asian region. He noted that in the Chinese market today, Belarus ranks as the second-largest source of rapeseed oil, the sixth-largest source of whey and milk powder, and the seventh-largest source of frozen beef, while its alcoholic beverages, chocolates and confectionery products are also widely popular.
Yakovchits added that as of today, there are 265 valid export registration numbers in the China Import Food Enterprise Registration system, covering 193 Belarusian food producers. He said that newly approved products for the Chinese market include wheat flour, oatmeal, dry baking mixes, wheat bran, sauces, honey and numerous other items.
Cao Derong, president of the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products, said that in 2025, China imported $520 million worth of food and agricultural products from Belarus. This represented a 21.4 percent increase compared with 2021, which was 26.8 percentage points higher than the growth rate of China’s global imports of food and agricultural products during the same period.
Cao added that China is the second-largest export market for Belarusian food and agricultural products. He highlighted that five major categories of Belarusian products, namely rapeseed oil, beef, whey, chicken and flax, collectively account for 93 percent of China’s total imports of food and agricultural products from Belarus, and that these products enjoy broad export prospects in China.