MINSK, 15 June (BelTA) – Belarusian Deputy Economy Minister Anzhelika Nikitina made a few comments at a press conference on 15 June about presidential decree No.215 of 11 June 2021, which is designed to improve the legal regulation in order to improve the investment climate in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone, BelTA has learned.
Anzhelika Nikitina said: “The China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone is one of the largest projects in Belarus. At present it is a large-scale modern investment city, which grows and picks up the pace as far as the attraction of investments and new residents is concerned. We once created this project within the framework of the Silk Road concept. Now it is the main platform of economic cooperation of two countries – Belarus and the People's Republic of China.”
In her words, the project is constantly closely monitored by the head of state and by the government. “Three presidential decrees on the development of the industrial park had been passed before decree No.215. Their main goal was to enable conditions for attracting investors and investments. We've managed to accomplish that within the framework of the previous documents. With decree No.215 we've improved the structure of the approach to the preferences the industrial park offers as well as the mechanisms we've worked out together with our Chinese partners at the level of the working group created by the Belarusian Economy Ministry and our friends from the Chinese Commerce Ministry. Apart from that, this project has been discussed on business platforms among resident companies of the industrial park, Chinese businessmen and partners,” the deputy economy minister explained.
As for the main directions, Anzhelika Nikitina noted that decree No.215 primarily expands the kinds of business the resident companies are encouraged to pursue. Medicine, biotechnologies, production of medical equipment, medical products, services for attracting intellectual property, 5G technologies, construction of driverless vehicles, and other allied industries and trades will be in focus.
Efforts will also be focused on raising massive investments. “At present the park's resident companies are medium-sized organizations that employ about 90 people, with the volume of investments close to $20 million and the volume of export roughly at $15 million. We also bet on major organizations. We offer additional preferences to all the resident companies, which declare investments at least as large as $50 million. The preferential regime will be increased with regard to the tax on dividends. Certain customs procedures will be simplified. The cadastral value of the land plots resident companies want to buy in the industrial park will be reduced by 25%,” she stressed.
The cluster initiative is one of the fundamental provisions. “In accordance with the presidential decree if a company in any region of the country, an oblast subordination city makes products together with a company residing in the park, the preferences are also applied to this [outside] enterprise. It is exceedingly important particularly for the development of the regions. We can combine Chinese capital with Belarusian experience and our technologies and make a new import-substituting product at the regional level. The main task of the Economy Ministry and the government is to make conditions available to the resident companies of the special zone of the industrial park Great Stone the most attractive ones among our neighbors in order to attract investors. We have to demonstrate to our strategic partner China that Belarus can be an economically effective platform for the development of the Silk Road,” the deputy economy minister stated.
