Kyiv, September 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Relations between China and Ukraine have been rejuvenated by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's "epochal" four-day state visit, Chinese English-language newspaper China Daily reported on Friday.
According to the authors of the article, Wu Jiao and He Wei, good relations between Ukraine and China were established under former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, however, they deteriorated during the reign of the "orange team," led by his successor, Viktor Yuschenko.
In Beijing, Yanukovych signed agreements on the exploration and use of space for peaceful purposes, trade deals, as well as an agreement on the construction of a railway between Kyiv and Boryspil Airport. Beijing and Kyiv signed 13 agreements on September 2, the first day of the Ukrainian president’s state visit to China in what analysts are predicting could be the beginning of a new "Silk Road."
According to the authors of the article, China has always attached importance to ties with Ukraine, which serves as a bridge between Asia and Europe.
"Strategically located, it has strong cultural and political links with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as trade links with the European Union (EU)," they said.
The visit, which local papers are describing as "epochal," "historical," or "extraordinary," has been viewed by analysts from both countries as a strategic move both politically and economically for the two nations to secure their ties in a changing regional landscape.
"Ukraine is the second largest country of the CIS. Geographically, it serves as China’s gateway to Europe. Therefore, the strategic location of Ukraine is significant," said Wang Lijiu, researcher at the institute of Russia studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.
Meanwhile, as China and Ukraine are both non-aligned countries, their cooperation will add a new momentum to the balance of world power, said Zhu Honggen, a researcher at the institute of Russia, Eastern European and Central Asian studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Experts also said the two economies were highly complementary and both had huge market potential.
"Ukraine has gained an edge on heavy industry, notably in areas such as aviation and machinery. The past years have witnessed China and Ukraine’s collaboration on agriculture, technology and shipbuilding," Wang said.
"China’s investment will help ease the financial deficit that Ukraine is facing, and infrastructure projects from China are welcome," Zhu added.
It has been reported that Ukraine has set up an expert team specifically to learn from China’s economic reforms. Ukrainian parliament deputy, adviser to the president and chairman of the Ukraine-China Business Council, Valery Konovaliuk, told Xinhua News Agency that Ukraine was offering a vision of a new "Silk Road," which would connect European and Asian trade.
"We are talking about building in Boryspil (near Kyiv), one of the world’s largest logistics centers, allowing a reduction in delivery times of goods from one end of Eurasia to another from the current 45 days to 12-14," he said.
Konovaliuk also said that China was not only one of the world’s largest economies, but also a "fairly significant political influence not only in the region, but also on a global scale."
"China’s support for a number of Ukraine’s initiatives may mean that our state will gradually increase its authority and presence in international politics," he added.
Vice-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) Committee on Foreign Affairs Leonid Kozhara told Xinhua that "we are all aware of the enormous political and economic potential of China," China Daily wrote.
