China-Belarus industrial, investment cooperation takes center stage at Minsk forum

Further advancing industrial and investment cooperation between China and Belarus took the center stage of a forum held on Saturday in Minsk, capital of Belarus.

The forum gathered over 400 representatives from political and business circles of both countries to engage in in-depth exchanges on agriculture, artificial intelligence (AI) and other areas to explore future directions for cooperation.

The forum was jointly organized by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the China-Belarus Industrial Park and the National Agency of Investment and Privatization of Belarus.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the forum, Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov said that from individual projects to building a shared industrial space for the future, and from simple trade to integrating industrial chains and exchanging technologies and expertise, Belarus and China have established a strong institutional foundation for cooperation and have continuously brought their partnership to ever higher levels.

Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), said at the forum that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Belarus all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to move forward at a high level, bringing historic opportunities to the business communities of both countries.

At the forum, the National Agency of Investment and Privatization of Belarus and the China-Belarus Industrial Park introduced local investment environment and preferential policies, while relevant companies presented their specific projects.

Businesses from the two sides held in-depth discussions in areas including agriculture, high-end equipment manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, artificial intelligence, new materials, and digital technologies, and reached a number of outcomes.

Iran on Sunday warned the United States against treating its overseas assets as “war booty” or using them to compensate the U.S. allies in the region, saying any such move would be unacceptable and could trigger consequences.

In a social media post, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi responded to reports that the United States might tap into blocked Iranian assets to compensate allies for damages incurred in recent conflicts.

He described such a move as “unacceptable,” stressing that Iran’s assets are state property.

Gharibabadi said that the United States, as a main party to military actions against Iran, should bear its own responsibility and that of its allies in the current regional conflicts, and countries in the region that provided territory or facilities for attacks on Iran have no right to demand compensation.

He also warned that any seizure, transfer or reallocation of Iran’s assets without the government consent would be considered as a new internationally wrongful act and could lead to corresponding consequences.