Belarus is ready to sell big state-owned companies to Chinese investors, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for State Property Alyaksei Vasilyeu said.
The Belarusian authorities are offering diversified forms of cooperation, e.g the purchasing shares or investing in companies in exchange for the acquisition of shares from additional issues.
In some cases, Belarus is ready to sell even controlling shares.
In mid February, the Belarusian state expressed its intention to start privatization and made a list of the enterprises for sale, for example, BATE, Horizont and Gomselmash. According to the Ministry of Industry, the shares of the companies above will be sold only to a ‘strategic investor’ for specific investment projects.
According to the official, over the last two years Belarus has failed to privatize a single company, because the submitted bids did not meet with interest from potential investors.
In 2013, the authorities gave up the idea of the privatization of the country’s companies with the participation of Russia. The Russians wanted Belarus to create holdings with Russian state corporations during the process involving the exchange of shares in companies. President Lukashenka, however, sharply rejected such ideas, demanding the Belarusian companies be sold for hard currency.
Belsat.eu, following www.naviny.by
