Recently, Xie Xiaoyong, the Chinese Ambassador to Belarus, accepted an interview with Yangcheng Evening News on issues related to economic and trade cooperation between China and Belarus, as well as the China-Europe Railway Express benefiting bilateral trade.

01 What are the new trends and highlights in bilateral trade cooperation between China and Belarus in recent years?

Xie Xiaoyong: According to Chinese statistics, the bilateral trade volume of goods reached a record high of 5.08 billion US dollars in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 33%. From January to June 2023, the trade volume of goods exceeded 4.5 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 128%; the scale of bilateral economic and trade cooperation continues to expand, maintaining rapid growth.

China's main exports to Belarus shift from daily consumer goods to high-tech, high-value-added products, including motor equipment, machinery and appliances, vehicles and their parts. According to Chinese statistics, from January to June 2023, exports of vehicles and their parts to Belarus reached 860 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 550%; exports of computers and their processing components reached 130 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 440%.

China is the second largest market for agricultural product exports from Belarus, mainly including high-quality products such as beef, poultry, rapeseed oil, and milk powder. Belarus remains an important supplier of potassium fertilizer for China, with its exports reaching approximately $1 billion in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 131%.

New forms of trade between the two countries, such as e-commerce, are thriving, with the popularity of the Belarus National Pavilion on Chinese online shopping platforms like JD.com on the rise.

02 What changes have the economic and trade cooperation between China and Belarus brought to the development of Belarus? Can you provide some examples?

Xie Xiaoyong: As a landmark project of bilateral economic and trade cooperation, the Great Stone Industrial Park currently has a total of 113 enterprises from 16 countries. These enterprises cover multiple fields, including machinery manufacturing, e-commerce, new materials, traditional Chinese medicine, artificial intelligence, and 5G network development. It has provided an important platform for investment promotion for Belarus and has created a large number of job opportunities and competitive salaries for local residents.

Chinese industry-leading companies such as Weichai, Fast, Geely, and Midea have made positive contributions to the upgrading of Belarusian industry. Among them, the cars produced locally by the SZAO BelGee Company have filled the gap in light vehicle manufacturing in Belarus, becoming a major brand in the Belarusian automobile sales market.

Projects of great significance to Belarusian society and people's livelihood are being gradually promoted with the assistance of the Chinese government, like the construction of a national football stadium, swimming pools meeting international standards, and social security housing.

03 What role does the China-Europe Railway Express play in facilitating the biliteral trade?

Xie Xiaoyong: Since the beginning of this year, the China-Europe Railway Express has operated 10,000 trips 22 days earlier than last year. In 2023, the cumulative shipment of goods has exceeded one million twenty-feet equivalent units (TEU), a year-on-year increase of 27%. The China-Europe Railway Express, as an all-weather, high-capacity, low-carbon, smooth and safe cross-border transportation corridor, has made outstanding contributions to promoting the economic and social development of the regions along its route and the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Belarus is located in the heart of Eurasia and is an important part of the China-Europe Railway Express. At present, Wuhan, Chongqing, Xiamen, Xi'an, Yiwu, Hefei and other Chinese cities have opened China-Europe Railway Express to Minsk, Soligorsk and other Belarusian cities. The crucial routes of the China-Europe Railway Express departing from Chongqing, Yiwu, Hefei, and Suzhou all pass through Belarus. Among them, Geely, a Chinese car giant, exports about 6,000 TEUs of auto parts to Belarus annually through the China-Europe Railway Express from Yiwu.

According to statistics from Belarus, Belarus shipped 10 to 12 container trains to China per month in 2021, and this number surged to 82 trains per month in 2022. Currently, the infrastructure capacity of Belarusian railway stations can operate at least 120 container trains between China and Belarus per month. The China-Europe Railway Express is a stabilizer for further expanding bilateral trade between China and Belarus, ensuring the smooth transportation of goods.

04 What are the important directions for future economic and trade cooperation between the two countries?

Xie Xiaoyong: In early March this year, the heads of state of China and Belarus jointly signed a joint statement of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Belarus on further developing the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries in the new era, which has guided further deepening practical cooperation between China and Belarus.

In agriculture, the joint statement emphasizes the importance of agricultural production and supply and will continue to support the mutual export of high-quality agricultural products between China and Belarus.

In industry, the two sides will carry out industrial cooperation between the two countries based on market principles, equality and mutual benefit, promoting the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries in Belarus, strengthening cooperation in components, raw materials, etc., between companies in the two countries, and carrying out joint production with China's advanced technological advantages.

In the financial area, the two countries will carry out pragmatic cooperation in the financial field based on the free market, autonomy, and the rule of law, expand the use of both currencies in bilateral trade and investment, support financial institutions in conducting cooperation to further enhance the level of financial services, thus promoting bilateral economic and trade development.

The joint statement also emphasizes that both countries will jointly promote the high-quality development of the Great Stone Industrial Park and build it into an international cooperation project and a satellite city of Minsk. Both sides emphasize the importance of carrying out cooperation projects of traditional Chinese medicine in the Great Stone Industrial Park, including attracting new enterprises and institutions in related fields to participate in cooperation. Both sides emphasize the necessity of further developing human resources in the Great Stone Industrial Park, universities that are willing and capable of cooperating with other universities from both countries to independently and orderly carry out exchanges and cooperation in production, education, and research with the park, which can help to provide high-quality talents in new technology fields for enterprises in the park.

In addition, the joint statement also identifies key areas for future economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, such as the digital economy, green economy, high-tech, cross-border transportation, and cooperation between local governments.

In the future, China and Belarus will continue to work together and deepen comprehensive cooperation within the framework of jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. They will steadily increase and facilitate bilateral trade and continuously advance practical cooperation between China and Belarus.

【独家专访】中国驻白俄罗斯大使谢小用：中欧班列为中白扩大双边货物贸易注入“定心剂”

近日，中国驻白俄罗斯大使谢小用就中白两国经贸合作、中欧班列畅通中白贸易等问题接受羊城晚报专访。

01 中国与白俄罗斯近年来的贸易合作有哪些新趋势、新亮点？

谢小用：据中方统计，2022年双边货物贸易额达创纪录的50.8亿美元，同比增长33%。2023年1-6月，货物贸易额超45亿美元，同比增长128%；双方经贸合作规模不断扩大，保持快速增长势头。

中国对白主要出口产品由日常消费品转为高技术、高附加值产品，主要向白方出口电机设备、机械器具、车辆及零件等。据中方统计，2023年1-6月，车辆及其零件对白出口达8.6亿美元，同比增长550%；计算机及其处理部件1.3亿美元，同比增长440%。

中国是白第二大农产品出口市场，主要从白方进口牛肉、禽肉、菜籽油、奶粉等优质农产品。白俄罗斯仍然是中国进口钾肥的重要来源国，1-6月自白进口钾肥约10亿美元，同比增长131%。

中白电子商务等贸易新业态蓬勃发展，中国京东等电商平台上“白俄罗斯国家馆”热度攀升。

02 中白经贸合作给白俄罗斯经济社会发展带来了哪些变化？能否举一些案例？

谢小用：中白工业园作为两国经贸合作的标志性项目，目前入园企业总数达113家，来自16个国家，入园企业行业涉及机械制造、电子商务、新材料、中医药、人工智能、5G网络开发等多个领域，为白俄罗斯提供了招商引资的重要平台，为当地居民提供了大量就业岗位和有竞争力的薪酬待遇。

潍柴、法士特、吉利、美的等中国行业领先企业为白产业升级作出积极贡献。其中，白俄罗斯吉利汽车股份有限公司生产的白俄罗斯吉利汽车填补了白俄罗斯在轻型汽车制造领域的空白，成为白汽车销售市场的主力品牌。

由中国政府援建的国家足球体育场、国际标准游泳馆、社会保障住房等具有重大社会民生意义的项目正在逐步推进。

03 在畅通中白贸易方面，中欧班列发挥着什么样的作用？

谢小用：今年以来，中欧班列累计开行达10000列，较去年提前22天破万列；累计发送货物超100万标箱，同比增长27%。中欧班列作为全天候、大运量、绿色低碳、畅通安全的跨境交通运输走廊，为促进沿线地区经济社会发展、服务高质量共建“一带一路”倡议做出了卓越贡献。

白俄罗斯位于欧亚大陆中心，是中欧班列重要的一环。当前，中国武汉、重庆、厦门、西安、义乌、合肥等地开通了至白明斯克、索利戈尔斯克、若季诺等地的中欧班列，“渝新欧”“义新欧”“合新欧”“苏满欧”等重要路线皆途经白俄罗斯，其中，中国大型车企吉利每年通过从义乌开出的“义新欧”中欧班列向白出口约6000个标准箱的汽车配件。

据白方统计，2021年白俄罗斯每月向中国发运10-12列集装箱班列，2022年每月可发运82列。目前，白俄罗斯铁路场站基础设施作业能力可保障每月服务至少120列中白间集装箱班列。中欧班列为中白进一步扩大双边货物贸易注入定心剂，为保障货物快速通行入境保驾护航。

04 未来两国的经贸合作有哪些重要发展方向？

谢小用：今年3月初，中白两国元首共同签署了《中华人民共和国和白俄罗斯共和国关于新时代进一步发展两国全天候全面战略伙伴关系的联合声明》，为中白进一步深化务实合作指明了方向。

在农业领域，《联合声明》指出，双方强调农产品生产和供应的重要性，将继续支持中国和白俄罗斯优质农产品相互出口到对方国家。

在工业领域，双方将在平等互利基础上，基于市场原则开展两国工业合作，推进白方传统产业升级改造，加强双方企业在零部件、原材料等方面合作，发挥中国先进技术优势，开展联合生产。

在金融领域，双方将在市场化、自主化、法治化的基础上开展金融领域务实合作，扩大本币在双边贸易和投融资中的使用，支持金融机构积极开展合作，进一步提升金融服务水平，促进双边经贸发展。

《联合声明》还强调，双方将共同推进中白工业园高质量发展，将其打造为国际化合作项目和明斯克卫星城市。双方强调在中白工业园开展中医药合作项目的重要性，包括吸引中医药领域相关新入园企业等机构参与合作。双方强调进一步发展中白工业园人力资源的必要性，鼓励有意愿、有能力的两国高校自主、有序同园区开展产学研交流与合作，为园区企业提供新技术领域高素质人才保障。

此外，《联合声明》还将数字经济、绿色经济、高新技术、跨境运输、地方合作等列入两国未来经贸合作重点领域。

未来，中白双方将继续携手前进，共同在共建“一带一路”框架内深化全面合作，稳步提升双边贸易规模，推动贸易便利化，推动中白务实合作不断向前发展。

出品人 | 杜传贵 林海利
总策划 | 孙爱群 孙璇 林洁
总统筹 | 吴江 蒋铮 侯恕望 孙晶 刘佳宁 骆苹
文 |羊城晚报特派白俄罗斯记者 孙绮曼 杭莹
图 |羊城晚报特派白俄罗斯记者 冼颖樱（除署名外）
译 |白心怡