Chambers of commerce in Belarus and Tajikistan sign deals with centre

At a signing ceremony during the ongoing 128th China Import and Export Fair, the China Foreign Trade Centre signed agreements with the chambers of commerce from Belarus and Tajikistan on Tuesday to establish cooperative relations.

China is the third-largest trading partner of Belarus and the latter is a crucial trading partner of the former in Eurasia. Both countries have enormous cooperation prospects in trade, said Zhao Qiuyan, economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese embassy in Belarus.

The Minsk Branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce has a large membership, strong influence and well-established reputation, and the China Foreign Trade Centre is a leading international exhibition group, Zhao said.

With complementary resources, the cooperation between the two parties is expected to boost exchanges between the business communities in China and Belarus, creating more efficient cooperation platforms for them, she noted.

Sun Yan, an economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese embassy in Tajikistan, said China and Tajikistan are friendly neighbors and have established a comprehensive partnership. 

Pushed by both countries, bilateral relations have maintained healthy and stable development in recent years. Bilateral trade and economic cooperation are also on the rise.

Sun said he expects the China Foreign Trade Centre and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tajikistan to set up a closer partnership by signing the agreement.

Xu Bing, deputy director-general of the centre and deputy secretary-general of the CIEF organizing committee, said that facing a sluggish global economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the fair contributes to facilitating the global supply and industry chains, while also promoting international trade.

To better serve its partners and participants at the fair, the centre has initiated the Canton Fair Global Partnership Program.

After the agreements were signed on Tuesday, the centre has increased the number of its overseas partners from 81 countries and regions in the global program to 140, including 60 in the countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The head of the Minsk Branch of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that as the largest comprehensive international trade and exhibition platform in China, the Canton Fair has played a prominent role in promoting the bilateral trade between Belarus and China.

The chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tajikistan said China has long been a key trading partner to Tajikistan. Recent years saw the bilateral trade expand.

The fair, as a comprehensive international trading platform, is rich in business opportunities and thus has great appeal to businesspeople, he said.