China satisfied with joint civil engineering projects in Belarus

MINSK, 6 December (BelTA) – China believes the implementation of joint civil engineering projects in Belarus is successful. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Belarus Cui Qiming made the statement during the ceremony held on 5 December to finish the second stage of the public welfare housing construction project in Belarus, BelTA has learned.

The diplomat said that the project is being implemented in line with agreements reached at the top level. Public welfare homes have been built in six oblasts of Belarus and the city of Minsk using technical and economic aid from the Chinese government. Construction began in August 2016 and ended in December 2019. A total of 38 houses or 3,286 public welfare apartments with the total area of 200,000m2 have been built. The homes will allow improving living standards of low-income families, the ambassador noted.

“At present we are getting ready to implement the third stage of the project and build 20 houses or 1,166 public welfare apartments with the total area of 66,000m2 in six oblasts of Belarus,” Cui Qiming continued. “Construction will begin in 2020. The implementation of these construction projects fully reflects friendship of the Chinese nation and the Belarusian one and contributes to the social and economic development of the country.”

The ambassador remarked that China and Belarus remain good friends in any weather. “This year alone China President Xi Jinping and President Aleksandr Lukashenko have met twice. It fully testifies to the high level of relations between our countries. In the last few years Belarus-China comprehensive strategic partnership based on mutual trust, cooperation, and mutual benefits continued developing,” he stressed.

Cui Qiming drew attention to joint efforts to implement the Belt and Road initiative. The work has produced good results. He mentioned several examples of successful cooperation. A hall of residence for university students and a therapeutic wing of the Minsk District Central Hospital have been built through joint efforts using technical and economic aid of the Chinese government. A power grid in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone has been built in addition to a complex of rental apartments in the park. Vigorous work is in progress to build the Belarusian-Chinese R&D cooperation center, which will be finished early next year.

The important joint projects include the construction of the National Football Stadium and a swimming pool compliant with international standards. The ambassador said he was confident their successful construction will become a tangible contribution to stronger strategic partnership between Belarus and China.