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Lukashenka visits China's CITIC Group

Alyaksandr Lukashenka on Thursday visited the CITIC Group in Beijing where he arrived the previous day to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, said the Belarusian leader's press office.

Mr. Lukashenka said that he wanted to increase cooperation with the CITIC Group and set up several companies in Belarus on its model.

"For us, the Chinese experience in establishing such companies is very important," Mr. Lukashenka was quoted as telling CITIC Group President Kong Dan. "But I do not rule out the possibility that they could involve private capital. With your help, we could carry out this project twice as fast. I see many advantages there including the fact that such a corporation is a forge of managerial staff of high qualifications."

The CITIC Group, formerly the China International Trust and Investment Company, is a state-owned investment company of China, established by former Chinese Vice President Rong Yiren in 1979. Its initial aim was to "attract and utilize foreign capital, introduce advanced technologies, and adopt advanced and scientific international practice in operation and management." It now owns 44 subsidiaries in China, Hong Kong, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

"You know our capabilities and needs," Mr. Lukashenka told the president of the CITIC Group. "In this case, we are interested in the construction sphere. If your specialists are interested as well we will tell about projects and ideas in the Belarusian construction industry with great pleasure."

Belarus established contacts with the CITIC Group in 2007, the press office said, noting that the contacts had produced "practical" results in regard to projects focusing on the construction of three cement plants in Belarus and the modernization of power supply systems at the three cement plants that are in operation in the country.

"As far as I know, the funding issue has been settled successfully," the press office quoted Mr. Kong as saying with reference to the planned construction of three cement plants. "We are interested in accelerating this project to make a contribution to the development of cooperation between Belarus and China."