САМОЕ ВАЖНОЕ! | Лукашенко: Китай всегда этим отличался! // НЕДЕЛЯ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА
Summary of results of the work week of the head of state PRESIDENT'S WEEK A BelTA project A government conference to discuss the financing of military purchases, 27 February 2023 Today we will discuss the issues related to the financing of military-related procurement for the needs of defense, security, and law enforcement agencies. Given the present level of threats against Belarus we keep close tabs on the domestic military and industrial production. I would like to stress that despite the unprecedented sanctions we are still able to produce enough weapons and military equipment for the needs of the Belarusian army. We easily get everything we need (I mean hardware) from Russia.
As for microelectronics, optics, other things, we need to thank those who have preserved the technologies we inherited from the Soviet Union, thus together with Russia we can produce any type of weapons. We can also afford exporting these products to 57 countries, which we actually do. We have been successfully developing modern weapons not only in the areas where we have scientific and technological capabilities and expertise. We are also mastering new areas that are in demand today, including such as missiles and large caliber artillery ammunition. A lineup of unmanned aerial vehicles developed in Belarus was presented in the military training area Obuz-Lesnovsky in October 2022. Army units successfully demonstrated their combat capabilities during that event.
While developing the manufacturing capabilities of unmanned aircraft, we pay close attention to ways of countering this type of weapon. Anti-drone radio-electronic means developed by Belarusian specialists are in great demand. A robotic complex able to detect and destroy aerial targets had been made. Development of a medium-range anti-aircraft missile system and an air defense guided missile for this system is on the home stretch. I hope that this year the prime minister and the head of the defense industry will give us good news in this regard.
Last year domestic manufacturers supplied the Armed Forces of Belarus with more than 500 units of new weapons and military hardware. Six samples entered service, including the modernized multiple-launch rocket system Uragan-M and two types of unmanned strike drone systems. In order to equip the Belarusian part of the Belarusian-Russian regional military force, Russia has supplied Belarus with an Iskander operational-tactical missile system with the necessary stock of missiles and ammunition and an S-400 long-range air defense missile system.
What the military wanted, they got it. These are the formidable weapons. Within the framework of the state program Belarus purchased a battery of the anti-aircraft missile system Tor, anti-tank guided missiles, mortars, infantry rocket-assisted flamethrowers, more than 830,000 units of ammunition of various calibers. Su-30SM aircraft, Mi-35M helicopters, armored personnel carriers and other weapons, missiles and ammunition will be delivered. In terms of the development of modern weapons, we are not standing still. Our army is getting the necessary samples to respond to emerging challenges and threats. Nevertheless, there is much to strive for.
I’m not talking about small arms, grenade launchers and so on… We have plenty of that. I’m talking about a more formidable weapon. This is what we must strive for. We’ll work on that. Chairman of the State Authority for Military Industry of Belarus Dmitry Pantus We presented a report on key measures, on how work is organized at individual enterprises of the State Authority for Military Industry, which carry out the most important projects. We also presented a report on the projects we have recently started. In particular, the organization of ammunition manufacturing in the Republic of Belarus.
As of today I should also note that in 2023, an anniversary year for the State Authority for Military Industry of Belarus there are plans to finish very serious, key projects. Today the head of state mentioned the completion of work on the air defense missile system Buk among other things. It has a Belarusian missile. And a number of other areas. If you remember, at the end of 2022 all types of unmanned aerial vehicles were presented in the military training area Obuz-Lesnovsky, including combat ones that have been developed and are made in the Republic of Belarus.
At present our work is concentrated on organizing the batch production of these types of drones. And, certainly, individual models are already going through certain tweaks and are being modernized. On the whole, I should note that in association with the Defense Ministry of the Republic of Belarus and other military units we have determined concrete types of unmanned aerial vehicles, which will be made in the Republic of Belarus and shipped to our defense, security, and law enforcement agencies. No work will be done on individual types [of drones] since it is economically inadvisable.
On the whole, I’d like to note that over the last year our interaction with the Russian Federation has become even tighter. At present we are implementing a number of joint projects. Rather large ones, I’d say. Large-scale ones. Among other things we’ve started joint prototyping work and I think we will soon demonstrate results of this joint work. On the whole, the work is systemic.
Last year we signed and approved a program on military technology cooperation with the Russian Federation for the period till 2025. As of today all the steps within the framework of this program are being taken. Conference with defense, security, and law enforcement agencies, 27 February 2023 In the light of internal and, above all, external developments, I would like to hear your opinion on the internal political and military situation around Belarus. Once again, I would like to emphasize and draw your attention to the need to ensure the strictest discipline in military units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB.
The toughest discipline! Everyone should do their job. We have a considerable number of people in uniform. Everyone is armed. These people are geared to defend their Fatherland. We need to use it. Discipline and performance of their duties. Especially on the border. When I talk about the border, you should understand that this is not solely the domain of [Chairman of the State Border Committee Anatoly] Lappo. This is the domain of the police, the KGB, the military.
We all need to see even the smallest aggressiveness against our state at our border in order to take appropriate response measures. They use any opportunity to destabilize the situation in Belarus. They will not stop. I want you to fulfill these demands. Everything else is on me. State visit to the People's Republic of China, 28 February - 2 March 2023 - Let's meet tomorrow. - Thank you. You should help us make such good cars.
It is also a great honor for us. - Have a nice stay! - Thank you! The visit of the president of the Republic of Belarus to the People’s Republic of China is taking place virtually on the eve of two sessions, so to say. It is possibly the most important political event of several years, I dare say. Because during these events personnel decisions will be made, the team in charge of accomplishing the plans the government and the party intend to achieve will be set up. It rarely happens. And it only emphasizes the importance and significance of the friendship and the friendly attitudes of primarily the two leaders.
Meeting with Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Li Keqiang, 1 March 2023 Mr. Prime Minister! Our relations are also based on practical and mutually beneficial cooperation that is getting increasingly vibrant. Prospects for development of our relations are very broad. This afternoon President Xi Jinping will meet with you. We will thrash out plans to promote our relations and are confident that Chinese-Belarusian relations are developing on the basis of long-standing friendship.
I am ready to exchange views with you on bilateral relations and on practical cooperation. Please, you have the floor. Dear Mr. Prime Minister, first of all I would like to thank you on behalf of all the Belarusian people. I sincerely want to thank you and your colleagues for the tremendous assistance and support that you have provided and continue to provide to my people and my country.
Once, many years ago, when I first came to China (I have already visited China 13 times, I think), I asked the People's Republic of China to share the experience of cooperation in all areas, primarily in free economic zones. We’ve learned the best practices from you throughout these 30 years. We've done a lot since then. The pearl crowning our relations is Great Stone. This is a major international project that Chinese President Xi Jinping and I inaugurated near Minsk. He called this project the pearl of the Silk Road.
Back then I said that we would never leave favors unanswered to the great Chinese people. This has always been the case in the history of our people. I have worked with three Chinese presidents: Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and the incumbent president Xi Jinping. We have met several times before.
We have achieved almost the impossible thanks to your involvement. We used to dream of trade turnover as large as $5 billion. At present we have nearly $6 billion in Belarus-China trade and the figure keeps growing. We have no closed topics for cooperation.
We cooperate in all avenues. Most importantly, we have never set ourselves the task of being friends and working against third countries. We are doing everything in the interests of our peoples - Belarusian and Chinese. This will continue to be the case. Today I will hold the talks that were agreed on with the president of the People’s Republic of China at the Samarkand meeting.
We will try to outline new horizons of our cooperation. I would like to congratulate you on the successful conduct of the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. We carefully watched the development of the situation, the congress. We see the situation that is unfolding in the international arena.
We congratulate you on calm, thoughtful movement forward. You go your own way, you do not interfere with anyone and do not react to the small bites that come at the People's Republic of China from left and right. This is fully in keeping with the spirit and character of the Chinese people. We wish you successes. This is our pragmatism. Because if China is strong, Belarus will be strong and will develop, too.
I would like to thank you once again for everything you have done for the Belarusian people. We have many proposals, a lot of plans that will be beneficial to both Belarus and China. The main thing (and I said this to Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao) is that peaceful Belarus is your friend in the center of Europe. Let’s work together and intensify our relations for the benefit of our peoples. Belarus has no closed topics for you. We would be happy to see you in Belarus and cooperate with you.
Our friendship has become all-weather, comprehensive. We are ready to act in this vein and meet the Chinese people halfway. Laying of a wreath at the Monument to the People’s Heroes, 1 March 2023 Meeting with Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu, 1 March 2023 I greet you! Dear President Lukashenko! I am very glad to meet with you! You are an old friend of the Chinese people.
First of all, on behalf of the National People's Congress I'd like to welcome you on your state visit to China. You have visited China 13 times already since you became president. I remember when I was the head of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party in 2012-2015, I accompanied President Xi Jinping on a visit to your country.
You offered a warm and friendly welcome to us back then. Since then I've met with you five times while accompanying President Xi Jinping. This is why today I am very glad to meet with you. You offered a very warm welcome to us back then. I was very much impressed.
I know that in your New Year's address you officially declared the year 2023 a Year of Peace and Creation in Belarus. It fully reaffirms Belarus' unwavering drive towards peace and development. I am convinced that under your true leadership more and more results will be achieved in social and economic development of the state for the benefit of the Belarusian nation. Bilateral relations have been developing in a healthy and stable manner since Belarus and China established diplomatic relations. Particularly over the last decade under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and you Belarus-China relations have been advancing dynamically.
Their status reached a historic high of all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership. In politics high mutual trust is maintained. Practical cooperation advances persistently in all areas. Coordination of foreign policy matters in the international arena grows stronger as well. President Xi Jinping pays close attention to your visit. A bit later he will host negotiations with you during which you will outline avenues and plans for further advancement of bilateral relations in the future.
At the historic start... The National People's Congress is also intent on working together with the Belarusian side on the basis of mutual trust and interaction to implement agreements of the leaders of the two countries. That's all I wanted to say. Please, the floor is yours. China has become a global power. It is impossible to solve any issue on our planet without China.
China is a proponent of a multipolar world. We are pursuing the same policy. The domestic policy of China and the domestic policy of Belarus have a lot in common. We fully support the international agenda. We act in the same manner. Recent proposals of China President Xi Jinping on peaceful development on our planet, on prevention of sanctions, and on good neighborly and mutually beneficial development fully coincide with the policy of Belarus. Expansion of contacts with China is a priority for us.
In foreign policy. Thanks to joint efforts the notion "comprehensive strategic partnership" has acquired special significance in relations between Belarus and the People's Republic of China. Today Minsk and Beijing continue building up the constructive political dialogue, successfully advancing economic interaction, and expanding regional ties. President Xi Jinping has talked a lot about it. The all-weather nature of bilateral cooperation allows us to continue advancing.
We are ready to continue exercising the necessary effort in the future for the sake of fruitful development of our partnership. We highly value close strategic cooperation with your country in the international arena. Our countries provide unwavering support to each other on key issues of the international agenda. We condemn actions aimed at escalating tensions around Taiwan.
Belarus has always followed the One China principle, advocated a peaceful resolution and strongly opposed the interference of foreign states in the internal affairs of the People's Republic of China. Minsk has supported and will continue to support Beijing on all sensitive issues, including issues related to Xinjiang, the South China Sea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Inter-parliamentary contacts are a significant factor in the development of Belarus-China relations. It affects all spheres of bilateral interaction.
The upcoming transformation of the parliamentary friendship group into a high-level inter-parliamentary commission will be an incentive for strengthening and intensifying cooperation. We are interested in organizing mutual visits of parliamentary delegations and you are always welcome in Minsk. We are deeply grateful to you for supporting Belarus’ proposals regarding a seminar of women parliamentarians and a round table on youth policy. I hope you will take part in these events.
In February 2022 as a result of a referendum Belarus' Constitution was amended and expanded. The Belarusian People's Congress (we've had six of those so far) received constitutional status. There are no organizations exactly like this in the world but it has similarities with the National People’s Congress of China. When we were giving constitutional status to the Belarusian People's Congress, we told people that the People's Republic of China has similar experience.
Negotiations with China President Xi Jinping, 1 March 2023 The minister of foreign affairs. The minister of commerce. From the bottom of my heart I welcome you, Mr. President Lukashenko in China! A meeting of old friends can always only give joy. You and I met in Samarkand in September 2022 last time. We had quite a remarkable conversation during which we declared the advancement of China-Belarus relations to the level of all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.
It offered a powerful boost to full-scale cooperation of the two countries. The new status of bilateral relations is also being filled with new content. Today we have a good opportunity for working out a plan on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and for making joint statements. A series of joint documents will have to be signed as well. I am convinced that your current visit will be quite fruitful without any doubt. Mr. President and I are united by the common desire to advance China-Belarus relations.
You and I... We've been friends for years. We maintain strong and unbreakable friendship. In conditions of instability and turbulence of the international situation China is actively intent on working together with Belarus to enhance political mutual trust and practical cooperation for the sake of dynamic, healthy, and stable advancement of bilateral relations. That was my introductory word. I'd like to hear out you now. Dear Mr. President, dear friend of the Belarusian people! First of all, I want to once again congratulate you on the greatest trust shown by the Chinese people.
In my message of congratulations that reflected the position of me as the president of Belarus and my family, I honestly said that we were really worried about the outcome of the regular congress of the Chinese Communist Party. We were very nervous, though probably we should not have been. Nevertheless, people always worry about their friends.
And on behalf of the Belarusian people, on behalf of my small family and myself personally I would like to congratulate my friend Xi Jinping. From my experience I know very well that such large-scale decisions are followed by a great deal of work. I wish you and your colleagues success as you will be walking through this period. And I wish you success in making decisions in furtherance of the decisions made by the congress of the Chinese Communist Party. I am sincerely glad to once again visit friendly China. Every visit offers me not only an opportunity to discover your original country, its culture and people but also an opportunity to see colossal changes in development, tap into unique experience, and learn from you.
I thank you for the traditionally warm and hospitable welcome the entire Belarusian delegation enjoyed. On the whole, China has always been famous for it. Today's meeting is taking place at a very complicated time which requires new unconventional approaches and responsible political decisions. First and foremost, they should be aimed at preventing global confrontation, which will have no winners. You have recently stated it, both clearly and unambiguously, in an address to the world community. This is why Belarus has been actively proposing peace and fully supports your initiative on international security.
Your initiative on development matters also fully coincides with Belarus' vision. We immediately joined the mechanisms to promote it and are ready for joint preparation and implementation of projects in Belarus. I'd like to present a number of proposals that follow the direction of our work in the area of social and economic development and modernization. They also correspond to your recent statement.
We are interested, extremely interested in advancing cooperation with China in technological development. Including the establishment of joint ventures, modernization of Belarusian enterprises by means of introducing modern Chinese technologies, promotion of goods and services onto markets of third countries. The potential of bilateral projects is huge. Our manufacturers are interested in studying competences and technologies of Chinese companies, in forming an inventory of components, in manufacturing engines, transmission drives, axles, and other parts. I suggest setting up joint ventures in the area of machine tool engineering, electric transport, production of parts for agricultural machines of both Belarus and China. Agreements and advances in the area of credit and finance are estimated at somewhere in the vicinity of the equivalent of $3.560 billion.
It will not be achieved right now but all the agreements and processes going on, including those defined at the meeting of the leaders in Samarkand add up to this overall figure. It is the first consideration. Trade is the second one. What would I like to say about that? We all know that $5.8 billion is a record high trade turnover of the year 2022. I’d like to say with pleasure that January 2023 and 14 days of February 2023 already show a 72% increase in export in comparison with last year. As a matter of principle, we’ve already reached roughly $1 billion worth of mutual trade in one month and a half. As far as trade is concerned, I’d like to point out such a commodity of strategic importance as potassium.
I’d like to say that negotiations are in progress between our companies and the main Chinese importers to discuss volumes and prices. Naturally, I cannot talk about concrete figures now but I can assure you we will see a substantial increase in volumes. And we are very glad of it. In conditions of unprecedented and stupid sanctions all of us have felt how important food is and how important the potash fertilizers our country has are.
Last year demonstrated... This year we actively continue using a new mechanism of cooperation in trade. It relies on export and import applications. The export application for 2023 stands at $2.2 billion. $600 million up from 2022. It is worth nothing that they are facilitated by associations. In other words, Chinese associations dealing with specific commodity groups help us sell goods. The second part is the import application: 107 companies intend to sell over 700 product titles, which include technological equipment, machine tools, raw materials, and components. Within the framework of the mechanism the associations help us find partners,
which will supply the equipment and raw materials our market needs right now. That’s right now, so to say. As far as strategic prospects are concerned, a number of most powerful documents will be signed to structure Belarus-China relations for the next 5-10 years. First of all, I should note that the leaders will sign a joint statement on avenues and mechanisms of development in furtherance of the declaration on all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership signed in Samarkand.
It is the most important political document, which emphasizes that in this complicated situation China stands with us and we never fail China. Meeting with Chairman of CITIC Group Corporation Zhu Hexin, 2 March 2023 Good day! Good day! Hello! Comrade President! It's a pleasure to meet with representatives and executives of one of the most powerful companies on our planet. We are truly proud of our managing to encourage you to work in Belarus and of your working in Belarus. We strongly hope that after this visit and negotiations with top leaders of the country, including my good friend Xi Jinping, our cooperation will only expand and that we will have no problems in the future with the launch of new projects. Particularly with regard to the creation, construction of facilities of your company and Belarusian facilities in Belarus' territory. I am told that the total cost of your construction projects that you have implemented in Belarus is estimated at $1.5 billion.
But I'd very much like to ask you to focus on several areas. First of all, the construction of a mining and processing plant in Belarus. The Belarusian side has realized everything you've talked about, everything you've asked for or demanded. The second area is BNBC 1 and 2 that have been successfully implemented primarily by you. We would like to continue the construction of the biotechnological cluster, of the biotechnological corporation in Belarus' territory. We would like to implement the project's third stage, which involves deep processing of corn and manufacturing of vitamins and other products.
We strongly hope for it. Xi Jinping showed no rejection of this project because it is a landmark project. The Belarusian National Biotechnological Corporation (BNBC), the Geely car plant, and other projects are pivotal ones. For the entire world. For Europe. With these projects China and we would like to show that Belarus-China cooperation is not limited to simple trade.
We also create high-tech companies and corporations. There are also other projects. There are several of them in agriculture. Production and processing of agricultural goods and possible sales on Chinese markets in the future. We have absolutely no counteraction [of these projects] either. On the contrary, just like with previous projects you will get serious support on the part of Belarusian authorities. Your Excellency! Dear Aleksandr Grigoryevich [Lukashenko]! Dear colleagues! We are grateful to you for finding the time to meet with me and my colleagues in the tight schedule of your visit to China.
Under your guidance and the guidance of President Xi Jinping our projects are being successfully implemented on your market. I'd like to use the occasion to once again express great gratitude to you for your great support and your attention. I would like to assure you we will properly realize the agreements you and President Xi Jinping have reached.
Meeting with the management of China First Automotive Group Corporation (FAW Group), 2 March 2023 How do you do? I thank you and your colleagues for taking the time to have this meeting. You know that we are extremely interested in developing the automotive industry in Belarus. Yesterday during the talks with my friend Xi Jinping I asked him to support my initiative to establish cooperation with your company. - He told me he supports it. This is a state-run company, isn’t it? - Yes, it is He emphasized that this is a state-owned company.
I support contacts between Belarusian specialists and the company, and I am ready to help facilitate cooperation as much as it is needed. You know that we are interested in you. You make good cars. If you want to work in Belarus, I am at your service. I would like us to join efforts and create a really good car in Belarus.
If we want to succeed, we should embark on it now, and do it very quickly, since now the markets for our future products are still vacant. Thank you for the opportunity to meet and for your close attention to our cooperation. We will very carefully and attentively implement this project that was agreed on by the heads of state. We had fruitful days, fruitful meetings absolutely about various matters. First of all, we met with top officials of the Agriculture Ministry of the People’s Republic of China.
Our meeting lasted for nearly two hours. We discussed all the current matters. In particular, we discussed primarily our future interaction in various branches of agriculture. We had a meeting with the General Administration of Customs. Time has come to expand the range of Belarusian products that we sell on the Chinese market.
As you know, today we sell beef, milk powder, whole milk, and poultry. No more than that for now, so to say. Today I have already brought documents to start selling heat-treated products. I am talking about poultry and beef. We have brought documents to start selling our tinned foods. Products for children are also very important for us. Homogenized products, the products that don’t sell on the Chinese market yet.
This is the second set of matters. The third one is certainly our strategic direction – the biotechnology corporation. In particular, BNBC-3 that the president has always spoken about many times. China set up a state investment agency several years ago. It took upon itself to moderate all such investment projects. Yesterday I managed to meet with top officials of this agency. The negotiations lasted for more than two hours.
Certainly, they were concerned about where our products will be sold. In particular, vitamin C, vitamin B, vitamin B12. One can say, we explained in detail in what countries the Republic of Belarus will sell them. We agreed that literally today we will give them full information about every kilogram in every country. I have a very strong positive feeling that the BNBC 3 project will be built in our country. Certainly, it’s a huge investment.
Last year was rather complicated from the pandemic point of view. China was comparatively closed. Private companies could communicate only via videoconferences. Nevertheless, it produced results. In matters of Belarusian export, in terms of the growth rate of export to China the Republic of Belarus went from the 136th position to the 38th. It is quite a large and good indicator that testifies that today China is also interested in buying our products. And the Republic of Belarus has worked out the relevant mechanisms for accreditation of our types of products for sale on the Chinese market.
Chinese consumers know Belarusian foods perfectly well. They buy Belarusian foods with pleasure. This is why we need no extra effort here, so to say. And Belarus and its foods do not need additional advertising. The Republic of Belarus itself is associated with quality products, with virtually organic foods in minds of Chinese consumers. China buys these foods with pleasure.
We already held a fairly large number of meetings prior to the visit. Not only and not so much in Beijing. We traveled to two provinces and reached a number of agreements, in particular, on the supply of medical equipment and medical products, and on work for supplying substances and a number of drugs produced in China with the aim of further localization in Belarus. Yesterday a meeting was held with the association of manufacturers at Sinopharm Company premises.
All of us are familiar with the company partly thanks to the supply of vaccines, including against the COVID-19 infection. Today meetings have been held already at the ministry for Chinese traditional medicine and the conventional Chinese Health Ministry. Matters of strategic cooperation were discussed. Our accomplishments as of today were evaluated. Most of all we talked about how our relations in this sphere are going to develop in the future. Both in terms of the healthcare system as a whole and in terms of development of the Great Stone Industrial Park, where we intend to localize the production of medical equipment, medical products, and traditional Chinese medicine preparations. We intend to build medical centers among other things. They will deal with traditional Chinese medicine and with the European medicine as we understand it, which is also rather well developed in China.
- Happy flight! - Thank you! Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik The visit of the president of the Republic of Belarus to the People’s Republic of China is of historical significance, without an exaggeration. First of all, this is a state visit, the supreme form of a visit according to the diplomatic protocol, ceremonies and the corresponding solemnities. Secondly, this visit cements the truly strategic nature of our relations with the People’s Republic of China. These relations have reached a brand new level of all-weather and comprehensive strategic partnership and cooperation.
During this visit the heads of state confirmed this status and sketched out a number of plans to strengthen and expand it. The third thing I’d like to note is that this visit took place in a truly difficult historical period of geopolitical transformation of the world, a period when the world is entering an era of multipolarity and we all understand that China has already become one of the main pillars of the multipolar world order. One of the main poles of the multipolar world order. And certainly, personal communication between the heads of state always gives a strong impetus to the development of bilateral relations in all areas without exception.
PRESIDENT'S WEEK A BelTA project
2023-03-09 13:50
