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Interview: China's Belt and Road initiative offers new opportunities for Kiev: Ukrainian expert

Xinhua, April 21, 2017 Adjust font size:

China's Belt and Road Initiative offers new opportunities for Ukraine to promote its development by enhancing cooperation with China and other countries along Silk Road, a Ukrainian expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

"First of all, under this initiative, Ukraine gets a unique chance to increase cooperation with the driving force of the world's economy -- with China's economy," said Ruslan Osypenko, an Executive Director of China trade association in Ukraine.

The Belt and Road initiative, proposed by Beijing in 2013, has opened the door for Ukrainian companies to join hands with Chinese partners in implementing mutually-beneficial projects, he said.

"For instance, we could successfully develop projects in energy sector and agriculture. These priority areas are interesting for both -- for Ukraine and for China," Osypenko said.

He noted that Chinese businessmen are also ready to bring their capabilities to the development of seaports in Ukraine, helping the East European country to improve its logistic infrastructure.

"Chinese companies are ready to supply equipment to ports, implement dredging projects, built port plants and improve logistics chain," Osypenko said.

The renovation of the ports infrastructure would contribute to Ukraine's aspiration of becoming a transportation artery between Asia and Europe, he added.

Serving between 2011 and 2015 as a head of Foreign Economic Affairs department at Ukraine's Economic Development and Trade Ministry, Osypenko was one of the main enthusiasts in the Ukrainian government, who pushed forward Kiev's bid to join the Belt and Road initiative.

In 2015, Ukraine has formally entered the Silk Road project, launching a train to China via the sea-rail Trans-Caspian International Transport Route through Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Currently, Osypenko together with his colleagues is trying to expand the Silk Road from Ukraine westwards, establishing connections between businessmen from China and western countries, which work in Ukraine.

"We have created a platform for dialogue and exchange of experience between businessmen from China, Germany, USA, France, Turkey and Ukraine. And today we have a new tool for pushing forward our business relations," Osypenko said.

The newly-created platform, uniting business associations and chambers of commerce from six countries, opens up new opportunities for expanding commercial partnership throughout the world, he said.

"In fact, this is a mini-model of China's Belt and Road Initiative. We are implementing this initiative in Ukraine and implementing it successfully," Osypenko said. Endit