The first Belarus-China Forum of Regions is held on July 1 in Lanzhou. [Photo/Gansu Daily]

The first Belarus-China Forum of Regions was held on July 1 in Lanzhou, Gansu province. Co-hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Gansu Provincial Government, and Belarusian authorities, the event featured sub-forums on economy, culture and tourism, and education, along with industry matchmaking and a youth art exhibition, with over 300 delegates from both nations in attendance.

Belarusian First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov highlighted the forum as a new chapter in bilateral relations, emphasizing the economic complementarity and potential for regional cooperation. He urged enhanced policy alignment and industrial collaboration to make the China-Belarus Industrial Park a key platform for cooperation, while expanding partnerships in education, culture, tourism, and sports.

Since 1992, when Changchun in Northeast China's Jilin province and Belarus' capital Minsk became sister cities, the number of sister cities between the two nations has grown to 54 pairs.

Gansu and Belarus have long maintained close ties, with students from Gansu studying in Minsk, Gansu enterprises thriving in the China-Belarus Industrial Park, and China-Europe freight trains boosting regional trade.

Cooperation has accelerated since 2007, when Gansu and Belarus' Grodno Region became sister regions, with Gansu's goods reaching Belarus and Belarusian products enriching Gansu's markets.

Yuri Karayev, chairman of the Grodno Regional Executive Committee, praised past collaborations and expressed hope for expanded partnerships in investment, trade, logistics, tourism, and cultural fields.

As the first national-level regional cooperation forum jointly held by China and Belarus, both sides hope to use this forum as the "sail" and the new cooperation plans as the "oars", advancing toward higher-level and broader cooperation.