President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko addressed the Global Services Trade Summit in Beijing. A video recording of the Belarusian head of state's speech was shown at the forum today, according to BelTA.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko addressed the Global Services Trade Summit in Beijing. A video recording of the speech by the Belarusian head of state was shown at the forum today, according to BelTA.
"Over the years of strong friendship between Belarus and China, we have repeatedly been convinced of the consistency of Beijing's policy, which has united many states within the framework of the 'Belt and Road' initiative on the terms of fair, equal, and mutually beneficial cooperation. Moreover, the upheavals experienced due to the pandemic and other global challenges have only strengthened it," the Belarusian leader stated.
He emphasised that holding the exhibition in such a difficult time is a very important and symbolic step by the People's Republic of China, as border closures, reduced tourism, disrupted supply chains, increased protectionism, immense pressure on healthcare systems, and the cancellation of international cultural events have become an unprecedented challenge for the services market.
At the same time, Alexander Lukashenko noted, the crisis has stimulated a boom in digital technologies and served as an impetus for a qualitative reset of the traditional services sector. "In this context, China's advanced experience in developing and implementing distance education services, online diagnostics and treatment, and the application of digital technologies in tourism is impressive," said the head of state.
"Belarus pays special attention to increasing the export and import of services. We count on expanding cooperation with China in this area as one of our country's key partners. We see joint work of states on further liberalization of trade in services, removal of barriers, and attraction of investments as a priority area. In recent years, we have witnessed active growth in global e-commerce, including cross-border e-commerce, the volume of which is growing by 50% annually. This tool has become an effective resource for restoring economic growth. Belarus sees great prospects in entering Chinese online platforms for promoting not only goods but also services in the fields of education, tourism, and medicine," stated the President of Belarus.
Alexander Lukashenko stated that the coronavirus has caused colossal damage to the tourism industry. "We must intensify the development of measures to further increase the volume of tourist services provided," he is confident.
The Head of State recalled that the world had also experienced a "logistics collapse". "Thanks to Belarus's unique geographical location, our transport infrastructure is in high demand as a reliable transit corridor for the 'Belt and Road'. From 2014 to 2020, we managed to increase the volume of railway container traffic through our country along the China - Europe - China route by 14 times. The Republic of Belarus will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted movement of trains along this route," the Belarusian leader assured.
In conclusion, he stressed that Belarus will continue to contribute to the rapid recovery of the global economy and develop diverse and mutually beneficial international cooperation in the services sector. The President wished the organisers success and all participants fruitful work.
The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is China's largest exhibition in this field. It has been held in Beijing since 2012 and serves as a platform for exchanging experience in providing services in finance, transport, logistics, information technology, e-commerce, healthcare, environmental protection, tourism, and other areas. It is one of China's three major trade fair platforms, along with the Shanghai Import Expo and the Canton Fair in Guangzhou.
The CIFTIS-2021 exhibition highlights issues of the digital economy, carbon neutrality, and epidemic prevention.
Source: belta.by