Changsha Economic and Technological Development Zone, Mogilev Oblast to enhance friendly exchanges

A promotion activity was held on May 20 in Changsha County between Changsha Economic and Technological Development Zone (CETDZ) and Mogilev Oblast of Belarus. Ruslan Strakhar, deputy chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee, and Fu Xuming, secretary of the CPC Working Committee of CETDZ and secretary of the CPC Changsha County Committee attended and delivered speeches.

Participants at the event also included Dai Zhiguang, deputy director of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee; Zhou Huaiguo, division head of European Affairs of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee; Andrei Popov, consul general of Belarus in Guangzhou; Pavel Marinenko, director of the Mogilev Free Economic Zone Management Committee; vice chairman of the Economic Committee of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee; Nikita Budnik, vice consul of Belarus in Guangzhou; and, general manager of the Mogilev Regional Development Agency Co., Ltd. Wu Zhaoshu, CPC Working Committee member and Management Committee deputy director of CETDZ, presided over the event.

Mogilev Oblast is the easternmost region of Belarus with a rich and unique history, and encompasses 21 districts and 2 cities of oblast subordination. The region is the industrial zone of Belarus and once nurtured the most powerful enterprises. Today, Mogilev Oblast not only retains all of these, but also successfully develops new industries, mainly producing automobile tires, elevators, cement, chemical fibers, fabrics, agricultural machinery, and food. In 2017, Hunan Province and Mogilev Oblast established friendship province-oblast relations. In 2020, Changsha City and Mogilev City signed a sister city agreement.

On behalf of CETDZ and Changsha County, Fu Xuming extended a sincere welcome to the delegation from Mogilev Oblast. He noted that the promotion event is held against the backdrop of deepening the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Belarus. The event is a concrete action to implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important speeches and instructions on China-Belarus relations and those made during his inspection tours in Hunan. It is also a significant move for CETDZ to build a global high-end equipment manufacturing base and build a higher-level open economy. CETDZ and Changsha County will take this promotion event as a new starting point for friendly exchanges between CETDZ and Mogilev Free Economic Zone, expecting the two zones to deepen economic cooperation and work faster to turn today's "paper agreement" into tomorrow's "cooperation list" and achieve tangible benefits as soon as possible. It is hoped that CETDZ and Changsha County and Mogilev Oblast will enhance friendly exchanges and promote regular and long-term people-to-people exchanges and friendly interactions among governments, departments, industry associations, and peoples. CETDZ and Changsha County are willing to work with Mogilev Oblast to seize the great opportunities brought by China's high-quality economic development, make two-way efforts for win-win cooperation, and contribute to the exchanges and cooperation between Hunan Province and Mogilev Oblast.

On behalf of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee, Ruslan Strakhar expressed his gratitude to CETDZ and Changsha County for their interest in developing cooperation with Mogilev Oblast. He pointed out that regional cooperation is one of the most important factors in strengthening China-Belarus relations. In August 2016, Mogilev Oblast and Hunan Province signed a memorandum of understanding on developing friendly relations. Since then, relations between the two regions have developed efficiently, and a series of cooperation projects in the economic, trade, and social fields have been implemented. Mogilev Oblast is open to mutually beneficial cooperation, and Belarus has also created comfortable conditions for entrepreneurship and business. Closer cooperation between Hunan and Mogilev is eagerly anticipated. Mogilev Oblast will provide all-round support for the development of regional business of both sides.

At the promotion event, representatives from CETDZ, Mogilev Oblast, and Mogilev Free Economic Zone respectively made presentations on their investment promotion. The Foreign Affairs Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government signed a letter of intent with the Economic Committee of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee. The CETDZ Management Committee signed a framework agreement on friendly cooperation with the Mogilev Free Economic Zone Management Committee.

Before the promotion event, the delegation from Mogilev Oblast of Belarus also visited Sany Group and SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd. (Changsha Branch).