Located at the crossroads of the Eurasian transport corridor, Belarus is a staunch supporter and important participant in the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, China and Belarus have implemented a series of mutually beneficial cooperation projects, with gratifying results. Among them, the China-Belarus Boulder Industrial Park (hereinafter referred to as the "China-Belarus Industrial Park") is the epitome of practical cooperation between the two countries. At present, the China-Belarus Industrial Park has become an industrial gathering platform for the two countries to expand cooperation and economic and trade exchanges in the field of scientific and technological innovation, and the demonstration effect is gradually emerging. According to the plans of the two sides, in the foreseeable future, it will be developed into an ecological, innovative and smart new city.
The growth of the "Great Stone" park is accelerating
Located about 25 kilometers from Minsk, the capital of Belarus and adjacent to Minsk International Airport, the China-Belarus Industrial Park is the largest government cooperation project between China and Belarus. In Belarus, the China-Belarus Industrial Park also has a well-known name - "Monolith", which is the name given to the park by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, which means "the cornerstone of the friendship between the Chinese and Belarusian peoples".
In March 2010, during the visit of then Vice President Xi Jinping to Belarus, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko proposed the establishment of a China-Belarus industrial park in Belarus. In September of the following year, the governments of the two countries signed an agreement on the China-Belarus Industrial Park. In June 2014, the park project entered the specific implementation stage. In May 2015, President Xi Jinping visited Belarus and inspected the China-Belarus Industrial Park and signed the blueprint for the development of the industrial park. During the talks with Lukashenko, President Xi Jinping said that the construction of the China-Belarus Industrial Park should be the focus of cooperation, give full play to the role of the intergovernmental coordination mechanism, plan the future development of the park, and make the park project a pearl on the Silk Road Economic Belt and a model of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides. Since then, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly issued presidential decrees granting preferential policies to the park in the form of the highest national legislation.
In terms of management, the China-Belarus Industrial Park draws on the experience of the Suzhou Industrial Park and takes into account the national conditions of Belarus to form an efficient management system consisting of the China-Belarus Intergovernmental Coordination Committee, the Park Management Committee and the Park Development Company. In addition, the park management committee has made great efforts to create a "one-stop" service center to provide a series of administrative approval services for settled enterprises from the park entry to the operation stage.
Thanks to the close coordination and joint efforts of the two sides, the development of the China-Belarus Industrial Park has entered the fast lane. At the end of 2020, the park has completed the first phase of 8.5 square kilometers of development one year ahead of schedule, realizing "seven links and one leveling", with nearly 30 kilometers of roads and more than 60,000 square meters of standard factory buildings in the park, which has the conditions for comprehensive investment promotion. Today, the China-Belarus Industrial Park has developed into a modern park with advanced business philosophy, perfect infrastructure and excellent business environment. By the end of 2023, the number of resident enterprises in the park will reach 120, with a total of 120 resident enterprises from 14 countries in the park, 26 new resident enterprises registered, and an agreed investment of US$1.44 billion. There are 2,719 employees in resident enterprises. The export value of products of resident enterprises was 135.8 million US dollars, an increase of 5.6%.
Science and technology projects come to fruition
As a "test field" for Belarus to expand its opening up and attract investment, the China-Belarus Industrial Park has established a high industrial positioning since its establishment, focusing on the introduction and development of high-tech industries such as machinery manufacturing, electronic communications, fine chemicals, biotechnology, new materials, integrated logistics, medicine, e-commerce, scientific and technological research and development, and big data storage and processing. At the same time, under the national strategy of innovation-driven development, the main position of Chinese enterprises in technological innovation has been continuously improved, and many products have strong competitiveness in the global value chain. It is precisely under the condition that the advantages of industrial cooperation between the two countries are complementary, and a number of high-tech enterprises represented by Xinzhu Co., Ltd., China Yituo, China Electronics Technology, Sino-Singapore Zhiqing, Jianyi Digital City, and Sky Technology have come to Belarus to cooperate with local counterparts in the fields of new energy, machinery and equipment, big data, artificial intelligence, and industrial Internet, injecting new impetus into the development of the China-Belarus Industrial Park.
In May 2021, the China-Belarus Innovation Center for the Industrialization of Scientific and Technological Achievements (hereinafter referred to as the "Science and Technology Innovation Center") was officially put into operation with the assistance of China, with a total construction area of 19,000 square meters, including research laboratories, start-up incubation and acceleration centers, intermediate laboratories for technological achievements, small batch production centers, and exhibition halls for scientific and technological achievements. The completion of the science and technology innovation center provides a good R&D and operation environment for the implementation of the project, and then provides new opportunities for the development of science and technology enterprises and high-tech enterprises in various countries, including Belarus and China. In September of the same year, the China-Belarus Joint Innovation Center for Industrial Technology, jointly established by the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences and the Guangdong Academy of Sciences, settled in the Science and Technology Innovation Center, where the two sides mainly cooperated in the four major fields of advanced manufacturing, new materials, ecological environment and efficient agriculture, and promoted the research and development of relevant key technologies and the transformation of technological achievements. In addition, SINOMACH has also played an important role in the field of innovation and R&D in the park. As the main investor of the park, SINOMACH Group and its subsidiaries have invested in the construction of YTO R&D Center, SINOMACH Torch Park, Yongcheng E-commerce Platform and Haihong Medical Equipment.
At present, the gathering of science and technology industries in the China-Belarus Industrial Park has begun to bear fruit, and a number of R&D achievements of the enterprises in the park have also been applied and promoted in China and Belarus, such as the commercial operation of buses equipped with supercapacitors in Minsk. The research results of the Innovation Center in the field of energy have been transferred to Belarusian substations and applied to the "Smart City" system in Minsk; The project "China-Belarus New Generation Atomic Force Microscope", promoted by the China-Belarus Joint Innovation Center for Industrial Technology, has also been launched in Guangdong and has been recognized by the Chinese Embassy in Belarus as a "pioneer in the incubation and cultivation of scientific and technological achievements in the Belarusian-Chinese countries". The implementation of numerous scientific and technological projects has not only strengthened the economic ties between China and Belarus, but also filled a number of gaps in Belarus's industries, making a positive contribution to its economic development and industrial transformation.
People-to-people exchanges are flourishing
The China-Belarus Industrial Park is large in scale, high in positioning and has a long construction period, so it is essential for the sustainable development of the park to integrate into the local environment through extensive people-to-people exchanges, to jointly cultivate high-level talents and create more value in the local area. To this end, the China-Belarus Industrial Park Development Company pays great attention to the training of personnel and cooperation with Belarusian universities. Since 2015, the park has cooperated with the Confucius Institute of Science and Technology of the Belarusian State Technical University to hold eight consecutive "Belt and Road" science and technology translation competitions to discover professional talents who are proficient in Chinese and Russian bilinguals. In addition, the Confucius Institute of Sinology at the Belarusian State University and the Confucius Institute for Science and Technology at the Belarusian State Technical University actively support the development of the China-Belarus Industrial Park, regularly providing Chinese course training for Belarusian employees of resident enterprises in the park, organizing language tests, and actively participating in cultural and educational activities held in the industrial park.
In order to let Chinese friends from afar better understand Belarus, the China-Belarus Industrial Park Development Company cooperated with the enterprises in the park to open the "Belarusian National Pavilion" on Douyin, Jingdong and other platforms in 2022 to promote the history, culture, attractions and educational resources of Belarus with the help of live broadcasts and short videos, attract more Chinese fans, and sell high-quality Belarusian products to the Chinese market. At present, the "Belarusian National Pavilion" has been settled in 9 e-commerce platforms in China, attracting millions of fans. As the popularity of the "Belarus National Pavilion" increases, Chinese fans have a new understanding of Belarus, an Eastern European country. At the same time, more high-quality Belarusian products are also entering the field of vision of Chinese consumers through e-commerce platforms.
Future smart ecological new city
Under the planning of China and Belarus, the China-Belarus Industrial Park will be developed into an ecological, innovative and smart new city. Therefore, while vigorously developing high-tech industries, the park is also gradually improving comprehensive functions such as residence, scientific research, medical care, education, and tourism to improve the well-being of employees.
In addition, the China-Belarus Industrial Park has always adhered to the concept of sustainable development, and the original settlements and nature reserves have been retained in the master plan, and the overall greening rate of the park has reached 50%. In the process of development and construction, we strictly abide by the requirements of the national environmental policy of Belarus, and formulate environmental supervision and protection measures in accordance with international standards, and follow the concept of green development from the use of energy materials, plant site selection and subsequent operation, such as the use of natural lighting, natural ventilation and other environmental protection technologies in the construction of the plant; Digital solutions have been introduced in the park's power grid construction, wastewater treatment and other systems to improve resource utilization while minimizing the impact on the environment.
Those who are like-minded do not take mountains and seas as far. China and Belarus share a broad consensus on promoting national modernization, respect each other's choice of development concepts and paths according to their national conditions, and are willing to exchange and share their respective development experiences and opportunities. It is precisely for this reason that China and Belarus have overcome the challenges of long spatial distances and large differences in socio-economic environment, and have turned the vision of building the China-Belarus Industrial Park from a blueprint into a reality based on strategic mutual trust. (The author, Xue Qianwen, Ph.D. candidate at the Faculty of Economics, Belarusian State University, and Wang Yuan is a lecturer at the School of Economics and Management, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law)
Author: Xue Qianwen Wang Yuan