During the then Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Belarus in March 2010, the Belarusian government expressed interest in opening an industrial park in Belarus modeled on the China-Singapore Industrial Park in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. An agreement was signed by both governments on September 18, 2011, and a joint venture, China-Belarus Industrial Park Development Company, was established on August 27, 2012. A ground-breaking ceremony was held in Minsk on June 19, 2014.
During talks with Belarusian President Lukashenko on May 10, 2015, Xi Jinping, who had become President by then, proposed enhancing the strategic alignment between China and Belarus in a joint effort to build the Silk Road Economic Belt, with the construction of the industrial park as a focus area. He went on to emphasize the importance of coordination between both governments in planning the park so as to showcase the advantages of cooperation.
Occupying an area of 91.5 square kilometers, it is the largest industrial park in which China has invested overseas, with the highest concentration of high-tech businesses. It also enjoys favorable policy incentives. Strategically situated, it connects the Eurasian Economic Union countries and the European Union members, offering easy access to international and transcontinental highways and railways.
Focused on advanced manufacturing and services, and attracting international talent and resources, the park is intended to be a new international city, an environmentally friendly, vibrant community that embraces entrepreneurship and innovation, and an ideal place to live.
To date, 34 enterprises have moved into the park, and the number will reach 100 by 2020.
