On the afternoon of May 6, Yin Yong, Mayor of Beijing, met with Vladimir Kukharev, Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee.

Yin expressed that China and Belarus are all-weather comprehensive strategic partners. Last year, President Xi Jinping met twice with President Lukashenko during his visits to China, and the two heads of state reached significant consensus on further developing the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Belarus. Beijing is a vibrant and modern international metropolis with a rich history. In recent years, the city has been implementing the new master plan in accordance with its strategic positioning as the “four centers” to facilitate high-quality development. As a result, multiple indicators, such as per capita GRP and energy and water consumption per 10,000 yuan of GRP, remain the best among provincial-level jurisdictions in China. Since Beijing and Minsk established sister-city relations in 2016, the two cities have engaged in a series of fruitful exchanges and cooperation in areas such as economy and trade, urban governance, and people-to-people exchanges. We are committed to working with Minsk to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and leveraging the leading role of the two capitals in sub-national exchanges. Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, we hope to further economic and trade cooperation, promote people-to-people exchanges, and facilitate mutual learning in urban governance. By doing so, we will continuously strengthen public support for the friendly relations between the two capitals and between our two countries.

Kukharev spoke highly of Beijing’s achievements in economic and social development, emphasizing that Minsk values its friendly relations with Beijing and will implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state. Further efforts will be made to deepen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, smart city construction, and technological innovation, so as to promote the sister-city relationship between the two cities.

After the meeting, Yin Yong and Kukharev jointly signed the Beijing-Minsk Cooperation Development Program (2024-2026).

Aleksandr Chervyakov, Belarusian Ambassador to China, and Zeng Jin, Member of the Party Leadership Group of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, were also present.