BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

25/03/2010

Lukashenko: Chinese aid to Belarus to exceed 4 billion dollars

Minsk - China is to give Belarus low interest loans and commercial contracts worth more than 4 billion dollars, the Belapan news agency reported Thursday.

The aid package from Beijing to Minsk would include a 1-billion- dollar credit, commercial contracts worth 3.4 billion dollars, and a 9 million dollar cash grant, President Aleksandr Lukashenko was quoted as saying.

Lukashenko made the remarks at a Minsk press conference after meeting China's Vice President Xi Jinping. He expressed gratitude for China's economic support.

Belarus is isolated from most developed nations, particularly the United States and the European Union, because of sanctions linked to authoritarian Lukashenko's poor human rights record.

Lukashenko has attempted to bypass the blockade by pushing for increased economic links with countries often at odds with Washington, most recently Venezuela and Iran.

The volume of trade between China and Belarus has rocketed in the last two years, rising from 500 million dollars to 2.5 billion dollars, according to Lukashenko.

"There are no closed subjects between us," he said. "We are ready to cooperate on anything from agriculture to atomic power stations."

Source:

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/315749,lukashenko-chinese-aid-to-belarus-to-exceed-4-billion-dollars.html


Partners:
Face.by Social Network
Face.by