The delegation of the Vitebsk region took part in the Forum of Twin Cities in the Chinese city of Jinan
From October 15–17, 2019, an official delegation of the Vitebsk region, led by the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, at the invitation of the Governor of Shandong Province, Gong Zheng, participated in the events of the Forum of Sister Provinces of the province in Jinan.
The delegation included heads of the regional executive committee's economy department, cities of the region, the administration of the "Vitebsk" free economic zone, the "Myaso-Molochne Produkty" concern, and enterprises producing food and wood products, and machinery.
Shandong Province ranks among the top three leading provinces in China in terms of gross regional product; business contacts with the province have been developing since 2006, from the moment the first memorandum of cooperation was signed; at the regional level, cooperation is carried out between Vitebsk–Jinan, Novopolotsk–Weihai, Orsha–Qingdao; in recent years, contacts have been intensified, an official visit of the Governor of Shandong Province to the Vitebsk region was organized, as well as an international business conference on trade and investment for enterprises of the region and Chinese companies (over 50 companies from the province participated).
Delegations from 33 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, America, and Australia participated in the conference of sister regions, including representatives from regions of Japan, South Korea, France, Germany, Austria, the USA, Canada, and others.
The program of events included an exchange of views at the plenary session – the "Governors' Dialogue," dedicated to the issues of "Smart Cities" development.
Nikolay Sherstnev presented a report, where he showcased the region's potential in the context of the Forum's main theme and shared the experience of implementing IT technologies in various sectors of the region to improve the quality of services and the living standards of the population.
During the plenary session, an Agreement on Friendship and Comprehensive Cooperation was signed between the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee and the People's Government of Shandong Province.
A meeting was held between the delegation of the Vitebsk region and the First Secretary of the CPC Party Committee of Shandong Province, Liu Jiayi. The parties identified regular reciprocal business visits at all levels as a priority for cooperation, the creation of an interaction mechanism for developing cooperation in trade, investment, and other areas, industrial cooperation ties, cooperation in transport logistics, the establishment of joint companies in the petrochemical and water treatment industries, electronics, interaction in agriculture and animal husbandry, peat supplies, as well as cooperation in medicine, culture, and arts.
A decision was made to create and implement a cooperation "roadmap" based on the signed agreement.
The head of the regional executive committee held direct negotiations with the president of the agricultural company "Liu Sheng," which is interested in large-volume peat product supplies, as well as a joint venture for growing vegetables. The parties agreed to continue targeted work in the current year.
The region's working group visited one of the largest dairy processing enterprises, "Jiabao," to assess the level of technical equipment and identify opportunities for cooperative cooperation.
The heads of the cities of Vitebsk and Novopolotsk held working meetings with their colleagues, where the main priorities for cooperation in the upcoming period were outlined. The Chinese side, in addition to trade development, is interested in jointly addressing issues of ecology, waste recycling, water purification, medicine, higher education, and transport logistics.
In addition, the heads of our cities at the "Mayors' Dialogue" presented reports on the prospects and practical implementation of "smart city" elements, and the experience of their development in various countries was studied.
Enterprises of the region participated in a contact and cooperation exchange, where more than 200 companies of various production profiles were announced from the Chinese side. The heads of the cities of Vitebsk, Novopolotsk, and the administration of the FEZ "Vitebsk" presented 20 leading enterprises of the region for the subsequent organization of joint projects. A number of contacts have been established with companies from China, Europe, and the USA for the further development and implementation of bilateral interests.
The result of the work at the Forum was the establishment of contacts and the creation of a fully functional working platform at all levels to promote the economic interests of the region in the territory of the Chinese province.
Based on the results of January-August 2019, the trade turnover of the Vitebsk region with the provinces of China amounted to 69.6 million US dollars. The export volume increased by more than 2 times compared to the same period in 2018.