China and Belarus are accelerating the implementation of joint scientific and technological projects, further contributing to the practical fulfillment of the all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
Key takeaways:
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In August 2024, Belarus and China signed a protocol approving 20 joint scientific and technological projects together with a 2024-2025 action plan for cooperation between Belarus and China in science, technology, and innovation.
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Within the framework of the Action Plan, Belarus and China cooperated in cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence, information technology, biopharmaceuticals, laser technology, new materials, and agriculture.
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Sino-Belarusian scientific and technological cooperation allows Belarus to gain access to cutting-edge technologies, while China invests in joint large-scale high-tech projects to research and develop dual-use technologies in order to circumvent Western sanctions.
Sino-Belarusian relations have seen a new wave of intensification since September 2022, when Beijing officially defined its ties with Belarus as an “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership,” establishing more efficient, multi-level cooperation mechanisms between the two countries across various sectors as a counterbalance to Western political and economic influence in the region. Belarus’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a member in July 2024 and to BRICS as a partner country from January 2025 has increased cooperation between China and Belarus in all areas, including scientific and technological cooperation.
In August 2024, Belarus and China signed a protocol approving a list of joint scientific and technological projects to be funded between 2024 and 2026 by the State Science and Technology Committee of Belarus and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China. The protocol provides for the approval of 20 projects for joint implementation in 2024-2026 in the fields of ICT, biotechnology and medicine, mechanical engineering, and new materials. In addition, a 2024-2025 action plan for cooperation between Belarus and China in science, technology, and innovation was signed. The plan contained 89 events, in which 140 organizations (59 from Belarus and 81 from China) were involved in implementing the plan’s activities, including leading research centers from both countries, industry agencies, and major technology corporations, primarily aimed at developing scientific, technical, and innovative cooperation between Belarus and China, activating mutual technology transfer and increasing the efficiency of implementing the results of scientific and technical activities in key sectors of the economy.
Key directions of Sino-Belarusian scientific and technological cooperation
Sino-Belarusian cooperation spans a wide range of high-tech areas, from mechanical engineering and nanotechnology to biotechnology and ICT. In the artificial intelligence sector, Chinese large language models (LLMs) are actively taking over the Belarusian market. Currently, the leading Chinese LLM in Belarus is DeepSeek, with a market share of 56% and surpassing only China, indicating China’s intention to introduce and implement its LLMs in countries not covered by Western AI platforms.
Scientific and technological cooperation between Belarusian and Chinese universities has also deepened significantly. In June 2025, the NAS of Belarus branch in China was opened at the Northwestern Polytechnical University of China (NWPU) and in November 2023, the agreement on the establishment of the China-Belarus Association of Universities was signed in Minsk, which includes over 80 universities from Belarus and China. In the following two years, more than 170 direct agreements between Belarusian and Chinese universities have been signed. For example, in November 2024, a delegation from Francisk Skorina Gomel State University met with Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NJUST) to discuss the future prospects of the International Chinese-Belarusian Scientific Laboratory for Vacuum-Plasma Technologies. Another Belarusian higher education institution, the Belarusian National Technical University (BNTU), in September 2025 in March 2024 signed a cooperation agreement with the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) to establish a joint faculty of Chinese technologies, which acts as a platform for training specialists in information technology, AI, automation, and digital manufacturing, allowing creation of Sino-Belarusian education programs, student and academic exchanges, and opportunities to apply for Chinese grants and scholarships for Belarusian researchers.
Of particular interest is that Belarus cooperates with three Chinese universities (NWPU, NJUST, and HIT) that belong to the Seven Sons of National Defense, a group of leading Chinese universities directed by and subordinate to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Such cooperation creates potential for joint research and development of technologies in the fields of digitization, ICT, and AI, which are categorized as dual-use technologies.
With Western sanctions still being imposed on Belarus, further strengthening of Sino-Belarusian technological cooperation is expected: In June 2025, an Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation between the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus and Chinese Academy of Sciences was signed together with an action plan for years 2025-2030, prioritizing Sino-Belarusian cooperation in microelectronics and instrument making, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, biotechnology, chemical technology, ecology, space technologies, optical and laser technologies, information technology, and AI. The implementation of this action plan opens the way for the development of Belarusian ICT infrastructure and data centers, with their subsequent integration into the Digital Silk Road, the digital infrastructure component of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The action plan is expected to prioritize the implementation of large-scale high-tech investment projects and to provide support for the development of Sino-Belarusian startups and innovation centers, which can be used as a tool to circumvent Western sanctions aimed at restricting the export of dual-use technologies to Belarus.
Outcomes of 2024-2025 Sino-Belarusian years of cooperation
The closing ceremony of the Belarus-China Year of Science, Technology, and Innovation and showcase of Sino-Belarusian innovative products took place at the 18th Pujiang Innovation Forum in September 2025, where Belarus was the guest of honor. According to the First Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Nikolai Snopkov, who led the Belarusian delegation at the Forum, Belarus showcased 50 cutting-edge developments from technology park residents, the Ministry of Health, the Great Stone China-Belarus Industrial Park, and organizations of the NAS of Belarus in the agro-industrial complex, medicine, biotechnology, digital technologies and AI. In turn, Chinese Ambassador to Belarus Zhang Wenchuan stated that during the 2024-2025 period of Sino-Belarusian cooperation, both countries jointly implemented 47 scientific and technical projects with a total funding of 80 million yuan.
Deepening scientific and technological cooperation with China presents an opportunity for Belarus to improve its relationship with China, strengthen its industry, and provide an additional incentive for the country’s technological development. At the same time, Belarus’s logistical and geographical location likely defines China’s interest in deepening technological cooperation with Belarus. Against the backdrop of Western sanctions imposed on Belarus, the future of Sino-Belarusian technological cooperation is primarily determined by the outcome of the war in Ukraine. If sanctions remain in place, Belarus could seek to deepen its scientific and technological cooperation with China to gain access to cutting-edge technologies and innovations. China, in turn, is interested in boosting investment in implementing Sino-Belarusian high-tech projects to research and develop dual-use technologies. However, as soon as sanctions pressure on Belarus is eased, China is likely to shift the focus of technological cooperation with Belarus towards the modernization of the Belarusian industrial and agricultural sectors, as well as ICT infrastructure, to advance the BRI jointly.
