Within the framework of the expansion of the Belarus-China expert cooperation, on July 31, 2020 a meeting of scientists, diplomats and experts of the two countries was held in the video conference format "Implementation of the initiative "One Belt, One Road" and the development of inter-regional cooperation in the new geopolitical conditions".
On the Belarusian side the event was attended by the representatives of BISR, Center of System Analysis and Strategic Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Faculty of International Relations of Belarus State University, the Belarusian diplomatic missions in China. The Chinese side was represented by the heads and specialists of the Chinese Academy of Contemporary International Relations, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, East China Normal University, Embassy of China in the Republic of Belarus.
The objective of the video conference was to discuss the prospects for the China's initiative "One belt, One Road" in post-coronavirus period and identification of key trends in the development of mutually beneficial cooperation between Belarus and China taking into account the modern international trends, the potential of interaction between the two countries in the field of expert diplomacy.
Oleg Makarov, Director of BISR, in his opening speech emphasized: "We have noted previously that the decision-makers, policy makers, do not require analytical support, but today we see a strong demand for analytics and forecasting, predicting at least small steps for one - three months in advance. Thus, we see serious responsibility, which the expert community faces. Besides, under the conditions of great tension, we see the chance and the responsibility for the expert diplomacy".
The parties discussed the impact of the coronavirus on the global politics and regional cooperation in the context of China-USA relations, the strategic aspects of the development of business contacts and inter-regional cooperation, transport and logistics sphere of Belarus and China within the framework of the "One Belt, One Road" initiative, the prospects of interaction of this project with the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, partnership of Belarus and China in fighting the Covid-19 and other challenges of our time, the key areas of the Belarus-China relations.