Coronavirus to affect Ukraine-China relations for at least another 10 years – professor

He said this at a round table discussion on "Ten years of Ukraine-China strategic partnership: results and prospects" on June 29, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

“In the next ten years, bilateral relations between the countries, in particular between China and Ukraine, will be affected by the coronavirus. A very important task for China and Ukraine is to adjust the structure and strengthen bilateral cooperation in order to effectively combat the effects of the coronavirus and its impact,” the professor said.

He noted that according to some academic studies, we should not rush to talk about ending the coronavirus pandemic. “Therefore, speaking more carefully, we need to prepare for the fact that the coronavirus will continue to affect our economies and bilateral relations. We should develop those sectors of the economy that are most flexible in the face of the pandemic, for example, e-commerce,” Yang Chen said.

According to the professor, despite the pandemic, China is confident that the country's sustainable development will not stop, and its desire and ability to share the results of its development with other countries will also not disappear.

He assured that China will in no way stop the development of the Belt and Road Initiative due to the pandemic.

As reported, a joint declaration on the establishment and development of strategic partnership relations between Ukraine and the PRC was signed during a state visit to Ukraine by the then President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao on June 20, 2011.

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