China willing to work with Belarus to align development strategies, explore cooperation potential: VP

China stands ready to work with Belarus to further docking their respective development strategies, and continue to explore cooperation potential in new areas, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng said during his visit to Belarus from Saturday to Monday at the invitation of the Belarusian government.

During his stay in Minsk, he met separately with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Prime Minister Alexander Turchin and First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov.

During his meeting with Lukashenko, Han conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's warm greetings and said that under the strategic guidance of Xi and Lukashenko, China-Belarus relations have developed rapidly, reaching a high level of an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership.

Han said China is willing to work with Belarus to follow the direction set by the heads-of-state diplomacy, promote the fine tradition of mutual support, consolidate the foundation of public support for friendship between the two countries, and promote the continuous deepening and solidification of China-Belarus relations and cooperation.

Lukashenko asked Han to convey his cordial greetings to Xi. He said Belarus is China's all-weather comprehensive strategic partner and a reliable good friend.

Belarus attaches great importance to its relations with China as always and looks forward to closer high-level exchanges with China, strengthening mutual political trust, deepening practical cooperation, inheriting people-to-people friendship and promoting bilateral relations, Lukashenko said.

In his meeting with Turchin, Han said that China is committed to developing relations and deepening cooperation with Belarus.

China and Belarus should take high-quality Belt and Road cooperation as a guide and continuously create new highlights of cooperation, Han said. China would like to take joint efforts with the Belarusian side to safeguard the common interests of the Global South and inject stability into an uncertain world, he added.

Turchin said Belarus highly appreciates China's constructive role in safeguarding international fairness and justice and is willing to deepen practical cooperation in various fields and enhance coordination on international affairs, further enriching the connotation of the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between Belarus and China.

When meeting with Snopkov, Han noted that this year marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), and China stands ready to strengthen alignment of development strategies with Belarus, create new space for win-win development at a higher level and with greater resilience and sustainability, and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Snopkov said that Belarus is ready to work with China to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and expand practical cooperation in industrial fields.

During his visit, Han and Snopkov attended the opening ceremony of a China-Belarus industrial and investment cooperation forum and a special Belarusian event "Big market for all: Export to China".

In his speech, Han said China is ready to continue working with Belarus based on sincerity and trust, strengthen the alignment of their development strategies, explore potential for trade growth and expand industrial and investment cooperation.

China will remain committed to high-quality development and high-level opening up, creating a broader market and development opportunities for countries around the world, including Belarus, he said.

Nearly 1,000 representatives from the governments and business sectors of both countries participated in the events, engaging in business negotiations and signing multiple agreements of intent for cooperation.

Han has also laid a wreath at the Victory Monument and visited a Belarusian agricultural exhibition.

China willing to work with Belarus to align development strategies, explore cooperation potential: VP

China has delivered tangible results since its accession to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) one year ago, said scholars and industry insiders at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the PSMA's entry into force in Shanghai on Friday.

The agreement, which took effect in China in April last year, is the first binding international agreement to specifically target illegal fishing, by preventing vessels engaged in such fishing from using ports to land their catches.

At the anniversary event, attendees highlighted China's progress in implementing the treaty. "The first batch of 23 designated ports open to foreign-flagged fishing vessels has been identified, spanning eight provincial coastal areas including Tianjin," said Xia Liang, a professor from Shanghai Ocean University, when delivering a speech at the event.

In addition to the concrete measures, China has actively fulfilled its obligations under the agreement over the past year.

"By joining the PSMA and taking action, China has shown its responsibility and commitment as a responsible fishing nation. In fact, even before joining, China's distant-water fleet had already been following the conservation rules set by regional fisheries organizations," said Zhao Gang, executive vice president of the China Overseas Fisheries Association.

China's fishing industry has long embraced responsible and sustainable practices, while academic institutions are also contributing to these efforts, with Shanghai Ocean University now serving as the national contact point for the PSMA.

"By linking research teams, industry bodies, international organizations, and practitioners, we can move academic research from 'on the page' to 'in action,'" said the Shanghai Ocean University President Hu Wei.

The Chinese government deposited its instrument of accession to the PSMA to the FAO on March 17 last year, one month before its accession.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said previously that the accession represents China's action to practice true multilateralism, and demonstrates the concrete effort of China to advance global ocean governance and uphold international maritime order.

China delivers tangible results since accession to PSMA: experts