Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus M.Ryzhenkov at the 9th Belt and Road Summit (Hong Kong, September 12, 2024)

Dear Moderator, Mr Chan, 
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, 

I would like to thank the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China for inviting me to attend the 9th Belt and Road Summit. Special thanks to the organisers for the warm welcome and first-class preparation of the events. From the very first minutes, I am deeply impressed by your city, its beautiful nature, comfortable modern infrastructure and reverent preservation of traditions in combination with the progress of urbanisation.

Hong Kong is firmly established as a leading international centre for trade, finance, culture and education. It is the "super-connector" that creates additional opportunities for China and the world to multiply benefits and mutual advantage. 

I am honoured to share Belarus vision for the second decade of the Belt and Road Initiative. You may find some of my remarks straightforward, but they are sincere, as it should be between friends.

I believe that apart from Belarus and perhaps Hungary no other country in Europe would dare to be so frank. 
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is one of the key elements in jointly building global civilisation. Its launch in 2013 could not be more timely. 

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West declared the "end of history" and tried to stop the clock on the "unipolar moment" forever. But history cannot be stopped. 

Where were we when the BRI was launched? We had a global economic crisis caused by the distortions in the U.S. economy, the collapse of the West's opportunistic interventions in Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa. The accumulated failures of the West-centric system required decisive corrective action.

But on the one side was a group of countries nostalgic for the old, golden days. When they lived off the ruthless exploitation of the natural and human resources of the rest of the world. Longing and trying to stop the course of history. And in order to achieve this, they are hindering the development of others in every possible way, sowing chaos, fomenting protests in the states that have chosen an independent path. 

And on the other side were countries that never ever wanted to return to the old days of poverty, neo-colonial plunder and exploitation. Developing countries, newly independent states, the Global South - these countries have many names. But the most accurate is the Global Majority. Firstly, because it adequately reflects the distribution of population, land area, natural wealth, economic and intellectual potential. Secondly, as a reminder of the fundamental principle of democracy - the majority decides. 

Storms are blowing everywhere today. Under the burden of responsibility, the so called collective West has clearly failed to live up to the leadership role it has claimed. And this applies not only to individual countries, but also to Western-centred institutions. The potential of the UN, which the West has learned to manipulate, is also insufficient to stand up to global problems. 

So it is time to give power back to the majority. At the global level too. And to develop a global UN-centred infrastructure based on the potential of new instruments. 

The BRI is a unique instrument. It offers the Global Majority an opportunity for accelerated development. At the same time, it does not contain a single confrontational element towards anyone, including the EU and the US. On the contrary, it offers the West an outstretched hand and fair and equal cooperation. 

The uniqueness of the instrument lies precisely in its peaceful nature, but also in its proven effectiveness. After all, we are talking about a way of bringing people closer together, exchanging ideas and accelerating technological progress that has been practised for thousands of years. We are talking about reviving mutually enriching exchanges along the transcontinental route known as the Silk Road. Not just trade, but a mutually beneficial collaboration of cultures, ideas and technologies.

While still being a developing country, Beijing has boldly taken on the task of promoting China's millennium promise to the world, devoting enormous political and intellectual resources to the course. It has also acted as an investor in the infrastructure of the developing world, which the Western-dominated international financial institutions have been unable and unwilling to undertake on such a scale and with such efficiency. 

From the very beginning, Belarus joined the BRI immediately and without any doubts. We were the first European country to do so. I am confident that future generations of Belarusians will remember with gratitude this far-sighted decision of our leader, President Aleksandr Lukashenko. 

Belarus's position at the crossroads of Western and Eastern Europe, halfway between the Black Sea and the Baltic, has been both a blessing and a curse. Belarus has always benefited from international trade. On the other hand, Charles XII of Sweden, Napoleon of France, Kaiser Wilhelm and Hitler of Germany - each of them passed through Belarus on their way to the East, sowing destruction and death. Today most of these leaders are described as "outstanding Europeans".

It would be an exaggeration to say that by becoming part of the Belt and Road, Belarus has escaped this vicious circle of European history. However, we have clearly and reliably inserted ourselves into the European context. With completely different stakes and a much wider range of stakeholders.

Who knows whether Belarus would be at peace today if President Lukashenko had not supported Xi Jinping's initiative in 2013 and started actively implement it? In a situation where the conflict in Ukraine, instigated by the West just a few months later, turned into a full-scale military confrontation, a proxy war against Russia aimed at its strategic defeat.

We are determined to prevent our country from being dragged into this conflict, and Belarus has a number of tools to do so. The Belt and Road has definitely become a kind of "security belt" for us. Some regularly try to speculate about the role of Belarus as a key link in the land transit. Thunderous threats to the rail transit between China and Europe are regularly heard, for example, from Warsaw. However, Belarus' responsible policy, the real situation on the ground and Europeans own pragmatism are having an effect. Rail transit along the Belarusian section of the China-Europe-China route is growing rapidly up 74 per cent in the beginning of the year and is approaching a historic high. Given the situation in Ukraine and the restrictions in the Baltic States Belarus is the only land route to Europe. 

Meanwhile, Belarus has become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. The number of students from China and other BRI countries studying in our universities has increased manifold. We are reorienting our trade towards Asia and are happy that China has become Belarus' second largest trading partner in the world. Our trade turnover with the seemingly distant China may reach that with the neighbouring European Union this year.

In the Eurasian context and as part of the BRI, Belarus is looking to the future with confidence. And it is setting itself even more ambitious goals. For example, to couple the industrial development of our country with that of China. While the West is trying to push out Chinese technologies under fabricated pretexts, we will show an example of their large-scale application in Europe. The same applies to other areas, from education to traditional Chinese medicine.

We are confident of success thanks to the Great Stone Industrial Park, China's largest overseas project, located in Belarus. Described by President Xi as "the pearl of the Silk Road Economic Belt", it embodies the essence and philosophy of the BRI. It is a China-Belarus park, but it is open to investors from any country in the world, offering them uniquely favourable conditions based on Chinese best practices. In essence, the park is our joint visible contribution to building a community of shared destiny.

Belarus has a success story to celebrate in its relations with China and other partners under the BRI. At the same time, we do not forget: our initiative is not about separation, but about integration and synergy. That is why we are not turning our backs on our Western neighbours. On the contrary, we are reaching out to them and continuing to demonstrate our willingness to build a community of shared destiny together.

Of course, this requires patience and determination. Historically and today, the Silk Road has linked Asia and Europe, creating synergies and mutually accelerating their development. But Western Europe is currently pursuing a policy of self-destruction. 

The EU is rapidly losing competitiveness and its industrial base. Just look at the closure of VW plants in Germany. As analysts say, this is happening because the EU has engaged in a sanctions war with Russia, an arms race and a competition with the U.S. in generosity in supporting the war in Ukraine. Finally, because the EU has rejected available and affordable energy resources and raw materials from the East.

Do Western politicians think about the peoples of Europe and the future of the continent? The vast majority do not. The number of European politicians who look beyond the next election is critically low. They are also under pressure to "decouple and de-risk" from China. And there are countries, including Belarus' western neighbours, that are rushing headlong into this gamble, dragging the European Union with them. In 2023, trade turnover between China and the EU fell for the first time in a long while. And so far in 2024, the situation is only getting worse. 

The West is on the back foot in Africa, Asia, Latin America.There is no doubt that the Global Majority will move forward. But the EU may not find its worthy place.

Is it possible to abandon such a suicidal policy? My answer is yes. Every war ends in peace sooner or later. The appearance of such initiatives as the China-Brazil Consensus proves that. 

The economic downturn will inevitably be replaced by an upturn. The question is how prepared we will be to enter the new stage of world development, how much trust will states have in one another, how effective will be interstate economic relations, how optimal will be logistical routes. The success and dynamics of the development of each of our countries will largely depend on these components.

We need to bring that moment closer in every possible way. We must continue to demonstrate by example the possibility of a path alternative to Western models. Work within the paradigm of Belt and Road cooperation, prove the effectiveness of relying on our own technologies and create value chains based on them within the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt. Provide reliable, fast and "seamless" transit. Transit of goods, ideas, technologies and people-to-people contacts. Not just between China and Europe, but between all the members of the BRI.

In conclusion, I would like to reassure you that for China and all the Belt and Road countries, Belarus will always be not only a window of opportunity in Europe, but also the most reliable anchor point there. Just like Hong Kong for us here in Southeast Asia.

Thank you for you

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