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Lukashenka completes his visit to China

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has left China for Minsk, reported the government’s news agency BelTA on Monday afternoon, BelaPAN said.

On Sunday, the Belarusian leader visited the World Expo 2010 exhibition in Shanghai, where he toured the national pavilions of Belarus and China, and attended an opening ceremony for a Belarusian-Chinese technopark in the city of Changchun. On the following day, he met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing and attended an opening ceremony for an assembly plant of a joint venture company called AVIC-BelAZ Mining Trucks Ltd., which was founded by Belarus’ BelAZ and China National Aero-Technology International Supply Corporation (CATIC Supply). Mr. Lukashenka also met with Lin Zuoming, president and CEO of Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

A package of documents was signed in Beijing on October 11 to give the go-ahead to Belarusian-Chinese projects estimated at a total of $3.5 billion. The package included three loan agreements, eight commercial contracts and two framework agreements to carry out joint projects in the energy, manufacturing and construction spheres, as well as a project aimed at the development of road infrastructure, BelTA said.

The Belarusian government and the Export-Import Bank of China signed a framework agreement on investment projects to be carried out in Belarus. The bank also agreed to provide loans to fund the development of an intelligent traffic system in Minsk, the electrification of rail sections in the Homyel and Mahilyow regions and the purchase of freight electric locomotives.

The Belarusian economy ministry signed an agreement with a Chinese engineering company to establish a joint industrial park in Belarus.

In addition, the Belarusian government will use Chinese investments to build a bleached pulp plant with an annual production capacity of 400,000 tons, a homebuilding plant and a soda ash plant, as well as combined-cycle plants at the Byaroza and Lukoml hydropower stations. The installation of the plant at the former station is expected to take three years, with the project estimated at $400 million.

Beijing Uni-Construction Group Co. Ltd contracted to build a hotel in Minsk.

China will also finance the modernization of the Minsk National Airport that envisages, among other things, the construction of a runway to accommodate the giant Airbus 380 aircraft. The project is estimated at around $600 million.