Building Great Stone industrial park

MINSK－Belarus's freezingly cold winter has never cooled down Kirill Koroteev's eagerness to frequently check the construction progress of Great Stone, an industrial park 25 kilometers away from the country's capital Minsk.

As the first deputy general director of the Industrial Park Development Company CJSC, Koroteev says he was filled with joy and enthusiasm by witnessing Great Stone taking shape.

According to Koroteev, the year 2010 was of special significance for him. That year, China reached consensus with Belarus on building a Chinese-Belarusian industrial park, which, Koroteev says, changed his life path.

With joint efforts from both countries, the consensus was soon put into practice. In September 2011, governments of the two countries signed an agreement on the construction of the park. In September 2012, Koroteev began to work at the Industrial Park Development Company CJSC.

During the development of the project, Koroteev visited China to learn and study China's practice and experience in implementing such projects.

On May 12, 2015, President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, accompanied by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, inspected the industrial park. The two presidents attended the commissioning ceremony of the first batch of enterprises moving in and signed a development plan for the park.

With the active support from the governments and enterprises of the two countries, the construction of the Chinese-Belarusian Industrial Park now is in full swing.

Great Stone is gradually becoming a modern park with upgraded infrastructure and facilities.

Koroteev says he is especially grateful to Chinese banks, enterprises and contractors for their roles in implementing this project.

Yuan Xun, head of the Belarusian division of Zoomlion, a Chinese machinery equipment maker, says his company had invested $45 million in Great Stone, planning to produce 1,000 units of mechanical equipment, with sales of about $100 million each year. The company has also created 200 jobs for local people.

Koroteev notes that the park is also attracting more and more local people and companies from different countries. At present, there are more than 80 enterprises from more than 10 countries operating in Great Stone.

Amid the epidemic, the industrial park continues to maintain an upward trend. In the first nine months of 2021, industrial production of the park increased by more than 50 percent from a year before; investments in fixed assets increased by more than 33 percent; and sales of goods, equipment and services increased by 100 percent.

Koroteev says he has witnessed the development of China-Belarus cooperation, which plays a role in the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2020, he was awarded the honorary title of "Silk Road friendship envoy".

Looking into the future, Koroteev is full of confidence. By focusing more on scientific and technological research and development, as well as high-tech and ecological industrial production, the park will play a bigger role in the development of Belarus, he says.

Xinhua