china green-lights belarusian beef and chicken meat exports(2)
Time： 2017-07-17
In March 2017, an agricultural official for Harbin (Heilongjiang Province) led a Chinese delegation to Belarus. The delegation was interested in working with Belarus on agricultural projects related to harvesting machinery for wheat, rice, and potatoes. This includes continuing cooperation with Belarus’ Gomselmash (farming machinery company) and expanding ties with Belarus’ Spartak (chocolate) candy company. For instance, a joint venture between Gomselmash and China’s Zoomlion may be established, while Spartak candies have been certified (as of March 2017) for sale in eight Chinese provinces. Also during this month, freight train service between Sichuan Province’s Chengdu and Minsk began operating.
In February 2017, Australian supermarket chain, Woolworths, announced it would accept UnionPay cards. According to China UnionPay Co., Australia is home to the largest number of UnionPay (payment) terminals outside of China. During the same month, a Belarusian-Chinese company (producer of construction and utilities special-purpose vehicles) was registered in the Mogilev Free Enterprise Zone, eastern Belarus.
In January 2017, freight train service between Hunan Province’s Changsha and Minsk began operating. This was Hunan Province’s fifth international freight rail route, following Hamburg (Germany), Warsaw (Poland), Moscow (Russia), and Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
In May 2016, China and Belarus reached a trade agreement on meat during Shanghai’s SIAL 2016 international food expo. Hong Kong would reportedly import meat by-products from Belarus. Chinese imports of Belarusian beef and poultry were still under negotiation at the time.
In 2015, Belarus exports just under US$15 million worth of food products to China.
In April 2015, 12 Belarusian food companies were permitted to export dairy products to China. During the same month, China’s Hangzhou Wahaha Group (beverages and soft drinks) was exploring business/economic opportunities with Belarus. During the same month, Belarus exported 20 MTs of milk products (powder and pasteurized) to China as an initial test shipment. Also in April 2015, Belarusian farm machinery manufacturer, Gomselmash, and China’s Zongshen announced plans to establish factories (corn and grain harvesters) in Gansu Province and Hebei Province.
