The Chinese corporation Weichai intends to implement a project to start manufacturing gearboxes in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone, BelTA learned from Aleksandr Yaroshenko, head of the industrial park administration, at a press conference on 10 June. The official said: “The governments of Belarus and China see the possibility of attracting serious, so-called anchor transnational corporations as a source of the growth of investments. Our industrial park already has such an example. The Chinese leading mechanical engineering corporation Weichai has already built a factory to make diesel engines for the Belarusian automaker MAZ. These engines are also supposed to be used by other Belarusian companies – Amkodor, Gomselmash, and so on. We hope that during the Belt & Road Forum for Regional Cooperation and Development a groundbreaking ceremony will take place to start the construction of the second project of this corporation – the production of gearboxes.” The two flagships companies – Belarusian MAZ and Chinese Weichai – have established a joint venture. OOO MAZ-Weichai became a resident company in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone in October 2017. The construction of an engine factory began in April 2018. The pilot production of internal combustion engines began in November 2018. There are plans to make engines for trucks, utility vehicles, and buses.
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 Belarus intends to attract at least $1.6 billion in net foreign direct investments (FDI) in 2019, BelTA learned from Belarusian Deputy Economy Minister Yelena Perminova on 10 June. The official said: “Results of the year 2018 were very positive for us: the net foreign direct investments were close to $1.5 billion. The performance target was hit. This year we have to raise at least $1.6 billion in net FDI because this kind of investments represents a priority in Belarus' investment policy taking into account non-debt assets.” The diversification of investment streams continues. “This year's flow from the European Union has exceeded the flow from the Russian Federation, however, taking into account our strategic friendship, neighborliness, and the lack of a language barrier Russia had always been in the lead,” the deputy economy minister noted. As for China, the country remains one of the top three donors of foreign direct investments and one of the top three trade and economic partners. A strategy to attract foreign direct investments to Belarus in the period till 2035 has been drafted. The document provides for doubling net FDI by 2025 to $3 billion. “We have to double the GDP by 2025 – up to $100 billion. The main drivers to achieve this result will be export, investments, and the development of entrepreneurship – small and medium businesses. Our economy needs net FDI to the tune of $3 billion. This is why the strategy for attracting FDI till 2035 includes mechanisms used by the entire world: work to improve investment legislation, work to facilitate administrative procedures for the private sector, further digitization of all processes in order to rule out a subjective approach to dealing with tasks. Everything should be simple: send a package of documents by email or online, get the necessary approval, and start working,” Yelena Perminova stressed. There are also plans for working hard to attract foreign investments and promote Belarus' investment potential abroad, including via events like Belarusian Economy Days, investment forums, conferences, meetings with private sector representatives. New promotion tools will be sought as well. Apart from that, there are plans to improve the performance of the National Agency of Investment and Privatization. The agency has already switched to a new format of work based on the project office principle: every specialist takes care of a specific investment project or a potential investor.
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 Armenia is interested in promoting cooperation with Belarus in the IT sector, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian told the ONT TV Channel on 9 June, BelTA has learned. “I have seen Belarus as a developed country. I liked not only stability and predictability, but also a great focus on science and education. I toured the National Academy of Sciences, met with the academia, and visited one of research institutes. As a former scientist, I was very glad to see that Belarus sets great store by science and science-intensive manufacturing,” Armen Sarkissian said. Belarus and Armenia have another common interest, which is information technology. In this regard, the Armenian president pointed to the role of human capital in the development of the country. Armen Sarkissian added that he would like to see Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko as a guest in Armenia. Armen Sarkissian said that he would come to Belarus again on an official visit to learn more about the country and discuss in detail possible avenues of cooperation in areas, like food safety, new technology and artificial intelligence.
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Big banks such as Societe Generale and Deutsche Bank are showing interest in cooperation with Belarus, Prime Minister Sergei Rumas told the media following a series of meetings with financial and banking groups in London, BelTA has learned. “Today we have met with representatives of several big European banks, Societe Generale, Deutsche Bank and Renaissance Capital in particular. All these respectable European financial institutions are interested in cooperation with Belarus,” Sergei Rumas said. The conglomerates are looking to cooperation in various areas, including debt market, capital market, interaction with Belarus' biggest banks and corporate borrowers. “All the cooperation areas were the subject of discussion, and the financial institutions expressed interest in cooperation. With no previous experience of work with Belarus, Societe Generale is ready to start cooperation with our country on a wide range of areas. Deutsche Bank has a long record of cooperation with Belarus. We have not worked together in the recent years. Today, Deutsche Bank has confirmed its interest in all-round cooperation,” the premier said. “On the whole I would like to say that the interest in Belarus is very big. Financial institutions, investors see our activity on international capital markets, offer their services and express readiness to work with Belarus,” the Belarusian head of government said.
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 In May 2019 the index of consumer prices for goods and services totaled 100.3% as against April 2019 and 103% as against December 2018, representatives of the National Statistics Committee of Belarus told BelTA. In May 2019 the base index of consumer prices, which does not account for changes in prices for individual goods and services susceptible to administrative and seasonal factors, stood at 100.5% in comparison with April 2019 and 102% in comparison with December 2018. In May 2019 food prices went up by 0.1% from April 2019, 3.1% up from December 2018. Non-food prices grew by 0.6% from April 2019, 2.3% up from December 2018. Prices for services went up by 0.4% from April 2019 and increased by 3.6% from December 2018.
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The Chinese corporation Geely may set up an enterprise in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone to make automobile parts, BelTA learned from Aleksandr Yaroshenko, head of the industrial park administration, at a press conference on 10 June. The official said: “We have preliminary agreements on the arrival of two very large, truly significant investors for us. I hope it will happen and we will sign the relevant agreements. Primarily with Geely Corporation. Work is still in progress. We intend to sign a preliminary agreement on implementing a project to make automobile parts in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone. Another planned agreement of intent will involve a Chinese shipbuilding corporation. Together with an aerospace technology company, which is one of the anchor investors, we intend to create a so-called subpark in the industrial park. We hope that the Belt & Road Forum for Regional Cooperation and Development will give a nudge to the development of these serious projects we are betting on now.” Plans have been made to sign agreements with several Swiss companies. “I hope we will sign among other things an agreement on residency with a company specializing in R&D in the area of big data storage and processing in the sphere of unmanned technologies – driving an automobile using the so-called augmented reality. The second project involves mechanical engineering. First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Aleksandr Turchin has already met with a representative of the company in Switzerland. We've held negotiations. We also see the possibility of implementing two projects relating to pharmaceutics later on,” the head of the industrial park administration noted. Apart from that, two Belarusian companies are expected to become residents of the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone. The first one will bring 3D technologies while the second one will bring computer technologies. “We invite our Belarusian investors, businessmen to look at the industrial park as a territory of global opportunities not only for foreign investments but primarily Belarusian ones. We give an opportunity to expand one's own business, actively promote products, including to foreign markets,” Aleksandr Yaroshenko stressed. The Belt & Road Forum for Regional Cooperation and Development will take place in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone on 2 July. Its key theme is Great Stone Industrial Park – Global Opportunities. The forum will draw about 500 participants. Those will be representatives of governments, heads of business associations, investment funds, banks, and major companies from European and Asian regions. The forum's organizers are the Belarusian Economy Ministry and the Commerce Ministry of the People's Republic of China. The co-organizers are the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Trade Development Bureau of the Chinese Commerce Ministry, the administration of the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone, the National Agency of Investment and Privatization, and SZAO Industrial Park Development Company.
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A foreign investment council may be set up in Belarus with the help of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Belarusian government and the EBRD are working on the appropriate memorandum, BelTA learned from head of the EBRD representative office in Belarus Alexander Pivovarsky on the Belarus Capital Markets Day at London Stock Exchange. “During the visit of EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti to Minsk, we suggested setting up a new agency. We got a feeling that Belarus was ready for it. We would like it to meet the best standards,” Alexander Pivovarsky said. The council may include representatives of both the Belarusian government and the international investment community. The format of the council is to be negotiated. According to Alexander Pivovarsky, given a favorable environment and positive decision on all the procedures, the foreign investment council will be able to hold its first meeting in 2019. “A dialogue with investors is very important. We see tough competition for foreign capital in the world today. We need to use all the tools to show the country, attract investors,” Alexander Pivovarsky said. Since the EBRD began working in Belarus in 1992, the bank has invested over €2.4 billion in 112 projects implemented in various branches of the national economy.